I walk BRAVOMy skin is sun kissed
But my body is Bravo Bravo! That’s what the outsider say for ‘WELL DONE” The Italians think it means “BRAVE” But you know what I think? Bravo is a cell injected in my body about to explode Bravo is a substance reaction that made my Bubu blind Bravo is a deliberate performance in the sky A calculated invisible to camouflage the visible Burn tears burn dry Bravo is my siblings born a defect machine Bravo is a gene I pass A replicate of a poisonous culture But you know…. My Island a Castle before Bravo. Japan -Fukushima treated water discharge planWe are no 'nukes for peace'-scientist
But we will not be radio-silenced-on-this Scientific evidence buttering up their touch But nothing as confusing as living in an atomic flask First they sample our existence in secret labs Now they inject our Waitui with lethal stabs This is not about gradual release This is about accumulation of adverse reactions Slow doses of poison ingested Like grains of sand Make up the seashore land Be it in my toe, taro leaf or wind blow Day-light walking ghosts for the puppet-show My oceanic body knows one or two thing Treated water is not saltwater Black tea or white tea, is still tea Even if my tongue sleeps on me, the Cod in my belly chokes from a cycle of injury This is not about dirty water made clean This is about precedence Setting the scene A type of dual use A gateway and a get-a-way Push a little is to push for more The old rat wheel garlanded with fragrance of cherry blossoms protected by touch-me-not roses of the sweet iron fist This is not about secured water This is about accidental spillages One drop, two drop, three drop Blood clots Brain knots Weak spots in my throat cross This is not about transparency This is about war currency carefully wrapped in peaceful apologies Rising in up-roar, We are ocean currents in the sea floor anchoring our ocean-ship in this diamond trick |
Luisa Tuilau
the salt in the water. “I am betting on love. Love is our strength. Love formed the weave and called it to being. It is love for who we are and for which we are that will set us all free. Love is the advocate that transcends bilateralism. Love is the decision maker in us, with us and through us. It is about love. It is about ALL of us.” Inap Yu Harim Mi!
Inap yu harim mi? Olsem laion i singaut nogut tru long kindom Mi weit tasol long go fri Ol tambaran man win gen Mi stap insait long pasin nogut blong ol Gan em kilim na bagarapim mipela Liklik man wantain liklik tingting Inap yu lukim mi? Mi kalabus long soul blong me yet Lewa blong mi buruk stret Ol masol blong mi kisim bagarap Bloot i kapsait long lewa na neck in drai tumas Taim bloot is ron long dispela rot blong seim pasin Man wantain ol pikinini tu Ol i dai long dispela nait Olsem na bai mi larem dispela pasin nogut go yet? Mi no wanpela diwai nogat frut long en Mi save mi igat planti Mi wanpela blong Wes Papua stret Body blong mi stap long kalabus Tasol spirit blong mi em fri Oseania kirap! Kirap long krai blong mi Mi wanpela blong yupela na yu wanpela blong mipela Mipela skelim wan solwara, spirit na laikim mama graun blong yumi Tasol yu fri na mi nogat Mi salem han blong mi kam long yu Yu bai mekim wanem? All the Way from Down HereThis video is the second installment in a series produced by the winners of APLN’s 2022 Pacific Islands Creative Competition on “Nuclear Weapons and the Climate Crisis.” The purpose of the video series is to showcase each winner, their stories, and the detrimental impact that nuclear weapons policies, practices, and climate change have had on their respective communities.
Through this video, Luisa Tuilau aims to strengthen advocacy action on victim assistance and environmental remediation for individuals and areas affected by nuclear weapons testing. She shares the story of a family from the Marshall Islands, a country that had been used as a testing ground by nuclear-armed states, most notably the United States, from the 1940s to the 1990s. The mother, Brooke Takala, and her two boys, recount the ongoing, tangible impacts they still endure today as a result of nuclear weapons use and testing, as well as their hope for the future. |
From a poet to the poet
..............................
From the pieces of soil
forming me to every
thread of hair you see,
Ikwe oyau.
From every native word I
speak to the taste of
native food in my mouth,
Ikwe oyau.
From the same Waitui we
swim to the diverse noke
that holds our stories,
Ikwe oyau.
Singing the revolution
song don't sound the
same no more.
But, Ikwe oyau.
From Kolonization to
Nio-Kolonization,
Au tu gi, tu ge, tu ga
My enemy in disguise
Sweet kisses before the
crucifixion
My brother in the battle
Sigh...
Let's enjoy the last
supper
I hear the rooster crow
See you on the other side.
Ikwe oyau.
..............................
From the pieces of soil
forming me to every
thread of hair you see,
Ikwe oyau.
From every native word I
speak to the taste of
native food in my mouth,
Ikwe oyau.
From the same Waitui we
swim to the diverse noke
that holds our stories,
Ikwe oyau.
Singing the revolution
song don't sound the
same no more.
But, Ikwe oyau.
From Kolonization to
Nio-Kolonization,
Au tu gi, tu ge, tu ga
My enemy in disguise
Sweet kisses before the
crucifixion
My brother in the battle
Sigh...
Let's enjoy the last
supper
I hear the rooster crow
See you on the other side.
Ikwe oyau.