Autographs (3)In Resilience

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Autographs (3)

We are students,
right now we are learning about life;
Our goal is to save our country and our people so we can have life.
To achieve this, we must not be afraid to die.

This,

in 1939, as the Japanese army pressed south in China.

This,

in 2022, as students die on the streets of Rangoon, raising three-fingered salutes.

This,

as teenagers prepare to defend their city in Kiev.

Dear Grandmother,
we have learned everything;
we have learned nothing.

 

In spring the fairies come and go
without leaving a footprint on the mossy rocks …

[Note: my father recognises the red name seal of the artist –
this was his high school music teacher]

 

In the face of danger:
fire, floods, pandemics, mouse-plagues, war;
we make art.

We dream
of a world
where things are as they should be.

In our minds
we take flight
to the mountains,
we wander through green valleys
filled with the fragrant blossom:
plum, peach, quince, orange.

Our feet do not touch the ground.

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First published in Resilience, Michelle Cahill, Monique Nair and Anthea Yang (Eds.), Ultimo Press, pp.79-81.

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