If You Must Die

after Dr. Refaat Alareer

If you must die,
We must live
To tell your story
To read your poems
To sing a song of peace
in the streets
(make it soft with a slow beat)
so that a child, somewhere in Gaza,
gathering close with families
to listen for signs for some kind of hope
among the faint voices
that crackle in and out
hears the song, your song we sang, ringing loud
and clear
and feels for a moment this hell can be stopped
which is the truth
If you must die
We'll carry you
In our beating heart