"When the Poem is a Spreadsheet"

Shades of Anger, September 24, 2024

Author

Rebecca Steckle
September 24, 2024

September 24, 2024

Good morning. Remember that every day is a good day to take action in support of Palestinian liberation.

LEARN. Read this piece from Jane Shi, “When the Poem is a Spreadsheet.” They write, “If poets and engineers have something in common, it’s that we build things out of disparate parts. Find the most efficient use of language or machines or technology so we can live. If poets and engineers have something in common, it’s that we are also used to aid and abet genocide.”

Caption from Disability Visibility: Black and white hand-drawn text in varied-style typography, both serif, italicized, bubbled, in the style of graffiti and street art. “Wherever you are, whatever sand you can throw on the gears of genocide, Do It Now. If it’s a handful, throw it, if it’s a fingernail full, scrape it out and throw it GET IN THE WAY however you can The Elimination of the Palestinian people is Not Inevitable. We can Refuse with our every breath and action. We must. Rasha Abdulhadi.” Artist credit: @kimmortaldraws on Instagram

If we choose to be the kind of poets, the kind of engineers, the kind of people who fight for life, rather than propagandists or foot soldiers for empire, then we must use all the tools at our disposal to stop the genocides and colonial violence in Palestine, in Congo, in Sudan, in Haiti, in ,, in West Papua, on Turtle Island, and so on. We must ensure that our tools are as sharp as a saw, or as the late poet Refaat Alareer offered, an expo marker. And those tools include our refusals. 

Jane Shi 

NOTICE. What did you notice when you read that ‘no vocation offers an umbrella of solidarity’? What do you feel challenged by in this article?

ACT. Donate an e-Sim to Crips for eSims for Gaza. Instructions are included at the bottom of the article cited above.

SHARE. Forward this to at least five people you know who could donate an e-Sim now.

ASK. What things do you want to learn about that we’re missing in the Shades of Anger resource bank? Please reply to this email (or, if you are reading this online, leave a comment below) to let us know.*

In solidarity for Palestinian liberation,

Rebecca Steckle, on behalf of the Shades of Anger collective

Click here to read online or listen to the audio version of this post:

*You can also continue the conversation with us in the Speaking Up Network, a private social media platform co-created by Animah Kosai, one of the leaders of Shades of Anger.

Shades of Anger was created by a global collective of women to raise awareness and inspire action to free Palestine. We chose the name of our collective to honor the poem, “Shades of Anger,” by Palestinian-Canadian poet Rafeef Ziadah. We also believe in liberation for Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and all places where systems of oppression are causing immense suffering and crushing the life out humans. We are led by women of the Global Majority/BIPOC. Shades of Anger is for everyone who wants to act for liberation and you can learn more about it here.

Alt text: On the top half is a grey background with black text that reads "Shades of Anger 'Palestinians do not know the word impossible' - Fatima Bernawi, So why should we?" On the bottom half are three photos. The first is a photo of an adult with short greyy hair holding the hand of a young child, who is holding up a Palestinian flag high in their other hand, while standing on a hill overlooking a field of people and cars. The second is a black and white photo of a person with a long ponytail, holding a kuffiyeh and chanting at a protest. The last is a person wearing a kuffiyeh around their head, and a black and red dress, looking at the camera while holding up a Palestinian flag and a peace sign.

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