Burma

I found this poem on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's homepage:

Why do I have to fight???
(By Daw Aung San Suu Kyi)

They killed my father a year ago,
And they burnt my hut after that
I asked the city men "why me?" they ignored
"I don't know, mind your business," the men said.
One day from elementary school I came home,
Saw my sister was lifeless, lying in blood.

I looked around to ask what happened, if somebody'd known,
Found no one but living room as a flood.
Running away by myself on the village road,
Not knowing where to go but heading for my teacher
Realizing she's the only one who could help to clear my throat,
But this time she gave up, telling me strange things in fear.

Why, teacher, why.. why.. why?
I have no dad nor a sister left.
To teach me and to care for me you said, was that a lie?
This time with tearful eyes she, again, said...
"Be a grown one, young man,
Can't you see we all are dying?
And stop this with your might as soon as you can,
For we all are suffering."

She has several very beautiful poems on her website I recommend reading.

If I had been a stronger woman, I would have been a fighter like her. But I have no country to fight for. If I had been a stronger woman, I would have been an activist with a voice crystal clear, speaking for those less fortunate than we. If I had been a stronger woman, I would have had the courage for many, instead of the very little I have left for me.

One of the last papers I wrote before leaving Hunter College in Manhattan was on Burmese nationalism. My teacher loved it so much, he recommended me for a fellowship. He was a generous man.

It would be great to have more meaning, to do something to make a change in the world. Wouldn't it?...

If you haven't signed the petition yet, you can do so here: http://www.avaaz.org/

I hope the Burmese people win their struggle this time, and that Suu Kyi can finally take her rightful place as their democratically elected leader.

I recommend The Glass Palace to everyone. It's a beautifully written book about colonialism in Burma, and about the downfall of the Royal family. It brought the realities of colonial life into my imagination. I read it almost without putting it down.