Poem By Palestinian Poet Refaat Alareer Who Was Killed In Israeli Strike In Gaza Goes Viral: “if I Must Die… Let It Be A Tale”

A poem by Palestinian poet and academic Refaat Alareer who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has gone viral now on social media.

The 44-year-old Alareer, who was also a prominent professor at the Islamic University of Gaza, was killed alongside several family members by an Israeli air strike in Gaza City on Wednesday. Alareer was also one of the leaders of a young generation of emerging authors in the blockaded enclave.

“Breaking, my heart is broken, my friend and colleague Refaat AlAreer was killed with his family a few minutes ago. Refaat is a university professor and writer and editor of Gaza Writes Back. I don’t want to believe this. We both loved to pick strawberries together. I took this photo of him this summer. This is very brutal,” Mosab Abu Toha, a poet from Gaza which is under heavy bombardment and ground invasion by the Israeli occupation force, said in a post on social media.

The poem by Alareer ‘If I must die’, revolves around the idea of sacrifice and the desire for one”s rebellious legacy of resistance, the fight against the occupation in this instance, to live on. The poet seems to be addressing the possibility of his own death and expresses a wish for someone else to survive and share his story.

The poem emphasizes the importance of preserving a personal narrative, as well as the symbolism of a simple object like a kite as a means to bring hope and a sense of continuity, even in the face of death. The poet appears to be reflecting on the harsh realities of life in Gaza and the impact of conflict on families, particularly on the younger generation. Overall, the poem carries a message of resilience, hope, and the enduring power of storytelling.

The poet, Refaat Alareer, was considered the “Voice of Gaza”.

Here is the poem:

If I must die by Refaat Alareer

“If I must die, you must live

to tell my story

to sell my things

to buy a piece of cloth and some strings (make it white with a long tail)

so that a child,

somewhere in Gaza

while looking heaven in the eye

awaiting his dad who left in a blaze –

and bid no one farewell not even to his flesh not even to himself-

sees the kite, my kite you made, flying up above

and thinks for a moment an angel is there

bringing back love

if I must die

let it bring hope

let it be a tale”

Alareer had reportedly wrote this poem around forty days ago and had also posted it on social media:

If I must die, let it be a tale. #FreePalestine #Gaza pic.twitter.com/ODPx3TiH1a

— Refaat in Gaza 🇵🇸 (@itranslate123) November 1, 2023