Afghan Peace Volunteers Fly Kites, Not Drones
By Dr Hakim
9th May 2018
On 22nd of March 2018, the Afghan Peace Volunteers affirmed life: they had their annual combined birthday celebration and they participated in ‘Fly Kites Not Drones’.
Affirming daily life in the context of daily death is a practice of perseverance. It is facing the ugliest human behaviour, and saying ‘I choose to live another way”.
It seems that armed guards stand on every street
in the maps of our minds,
each guard afraid,
but still standing hyper-alert,
each told that defense is our necessary duty.
Though almost all 7 billion human beings on earth are not terrorists,
we allow a few politicians with,
to diagnose the least, personality disorders,
to hold more than 14,000 nuclear weapons.
We even proudly name this
MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction.
We allow them to use drones.
Claiming to be an advanced species,
we constantly fine-tune unfeeling machines
to do the killing for us.
We’ve forgotten how to drink tea,
fly kites,
and converse.
Instead, we drink blood, fly Predators and Reapers,
and converse with guns and bombs.
We don’t even stop to ask why
we’ve become like this.
We can’t face ourselves.
The Volunteers had a small birthday celebration before going to the lake.
Together, they affirmed one another’s humanity.
Bismillah explained, “We’re planning to make our work last,
by establishing an Institute of Nonviolence.”
Hakim exhorted, “Live deeply!”
Everyone sang, “Happy birthday!” to one another.
Masuma cut the cake,
which went around to about 40 young souls,
passing on friendship, affection
and solidarity.
That afternoon, in the drone capital of the world,
the Volunteers flew kites, not drones.
The world seems hooked on
military gung-ho and a global arms race.
The youth could buy and use guns;
they would be admired by Americans like Trump,
and goaded on by groups like the NRA.
If they were asked by the derisive media
why they had taken up arms,
they could say,
“You want me to.
You designed the system this way.
This is our necessary duty.”
But, they’re still in touch with
their conscience, thoughts and feelings.
By the lake, and next to one another,
they kept a remnant of their hearts unpolluted.
In that space, they refused to pick up instruments of death.
Instead, they picked up the pull on the line,
and set their kites off into the blue, the grey and the white.
They laughed alongside one another,
exchanged difficulties,
and said, not flippantly, not naively,
“Let’s do this together,
however challenging,
and however lonely,
Let’s change our minds.”
Drone predator firing a Hellfire missile
Gun resistance in the US: Facing the weapons and armies in our minds
It seems that armed guards stand on every street
in the maps of our minds,
each guard afraid,
but still standing hyper-alert,
each told that defense is our necessary duty.
Though almost all 7 billion human beings on earth are not terrorists,
we allow a few politicians with,
to diagnose the least, personality disorders,
to hold more than 17000 nuclear weapons.
We even proudly name this
MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction.
We allow them to use drones.
Claiming to be an advanced species,
we constantly fine-tune unfeeling machines
to do the killing for us.
We’ve forgotten how to drink tea,
fly kites,
and converse.
Instead, we drink blood, fly Predators and Reapers,
and converse with guns and bombs.
We don’t even stop to ask why
we’ve become like this.
We can’t face ourselves.
Everyone’s birthday cake
Affirming life and love together
The Volunteers had a small birthday celebration before going to the lake.
Together, they affirmed one another’s humanity.
Bismillah explained, “We’re planning to make our work last,
by establishing an Institute of Nonviolence.”
Hakim exhorted, “Live deeply!”
Everyone sang, “Happy birthday!” to one another.
Masuma cut the cake,
which went around to about 40 young souls,
passing on friendship, affection
and solidarity.
Lifting up love and life
Fly Kites Not Drones
That afternoon, in the drone capital of the world,
the Volunteers flew kites, not drones.
The world seems hooked on
military gung-ho and a global arms race.
The youth could buy and use guns;
they would be admired by Americans like Trump,
and goaded on by groups like the NRA.
If they were asked by the derisive media
why they had taken up arms,
they could say,
“You want me to.
You designed the system this way.
This is our necessary duty.”
Enjoying time together
From earth to sky
Bismillah and the Afghan Peace Volunteers plan for an Institute of Nonviolence
The new Afghan generation thirst for peace
But, they’re still in touch with
their conscience, thoughts and feelings.
By the lake, and next to one another,
they kept a remnant of their hearts unpolluted.
In that space, they refused to pick up instruments of death.
Instead, they picked up the pull on the line,
and set their kites off into the blue, the grey and the white.
They laughed alongside one another,
exchanged difficulties,
and said, not flippantly, not naively,
“Let’s do this together,
however challenging,
and however lonely,
Let’s change our minds.”
We can Fly Kites Not Drones
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