to do it differently (iii) by Salimah Valiani

i: Genocide is genocide
South Africa goes to the ICJ on a truth offensive. Truth saves hearts of the living. Yemen targets
the killer’s throat by blocking the sea. Oman blocks the air to save Yemeni bodies quietly being
bled like Palestinian bodies 1937 to 1956. Palestinian unions in early 2024 ask global unions to
move beyond solidarity statements and take action on Palestinians’ demand for public services,
the daily demand of South Africans being quietly bled for lack of public services today. Public
services that operate on industrial chains milking air earth water. As in Canada, that denies public
services to the first peoples that have long safeguarded air earth water in what is now known as
Canada. Canada objects to South Africa’s genocide claim. Namibia objects to Germany’s rejection
of the genocide claim, recalling Germany’s genocide of tens of thousands of first peoples, 1904 to
1908, in what is now known as Namibia. Namibia bleeds earth for copper uranium and others, to
send to Germany South Africa and others, in exchange for products of industrial chains.
All the choices and unclaimed choices being made in the same world-mind frame.

ii: choice
one big beam
two paths
opening~balancing
/
continuing~closing¹

iii: change
if the backwheel be consciousness
layers of love
if the sproket be unity
meshing the layers
if the rider be collective forces
turning the pedals
steering the front
then there be movement
then there be change

Salimah Valiani is a poet, activist and researcher. Her latest poetry collection, 29 leads to love, is the 2022 Winner of The International Book Award for Contemporary Poetry. She has also published four other poetry collections: breathing for breadth (TSAR 2005); Letter Out: Letter In (Inanna 2009); land of the sky (Inanna 2016); Cradles (Daraja 2017). Her first audiobook, Pandemic Love, was released by Daraja Press in 2022. Valiani’s new collection, on the city of Johannesburg, will be released later this year.