will

The first image shows a cow facing forward, tail and ears up, holding a sunflower in their mouth. Text above them reads “show yourself a little kindness today, then repeat it everyday.”

Rafah Crossing opened for medical evacuation this past Monday for the first time since May 2024. In the 24 hours preceding the opening, Israel killed 30 Palestinians in air strikes. At time of writing, another wave of air strikes has killed at least 23 people since dawn today. Israel has violated the "ceasefire" agreement 1,520 times, continuing to critically injure and permanently disable hundreds of people.

@fadel-dani is only 23 years old, a third-year IT student, and he and his family have been displaced multiple times in the genocide. When his university was destroyed by Israel, he registered to study remotely. Imagine the world falling apart around you and still trying to complete your school work! When his family, after being displaced 5 times, returned to their home, bombs were dropped, and they survived an explosion which destroyed their house. He fainted. Fadel woke up in a hospital and learned that, because hospitals in the north of Gaza had completely collapsed, he and his family were transported under extremely dangerous conditions to a hospital in the south of the Gaza.

Further he learned that while unconscious, he had undergone surgery to remove iron fragments that shot into his body in the bombing. Because of the extreme danger and the collapse of the health system, some of the pieces could not removed at their location. The doctor assessed his health and told his family that he needs to receive treatment in another country as soon as possible. Obviously, doing so safely requires coordination and funds for both travel and the surgical fees once they get to a hospital. They have been trying to raise funds since then. He had bled a lot that day. His normal bloodcount is weak because he has thalassemia. The price of the medicine is too high for them to afford, and so he has fainted many times. So far they have waited over 300 days to meet their fundraising goal so he can get needed surgery. 300 days of suffering the physical and psychological pain of feeling shrapnel from the Israeli bombing that destroyed his childhood home embedded in his body. He is currently sitting in a tent, sending me messages on tumblr. His campaign was vetted (gazavetters #197), and you can help him raise funds to get medical care as soon as possible by sending some funds here:

My friend was advised to italicise all the foreign words in her poems. This advice came from a well-meaning woman with NZ poetry on her business card and an English accent in her mouth.

I have been thinking about this advice.

The publishing convention of italicising words from other languages clarifies that some words are imported: it ensures readers can tell the difference between a foreign language and the language of home.

I have been thinking about this advice.

Marking the foreign words is also a kindness: Every potential reader is reassured that although obviously you’re expected to understand the rest of the text, it’s fine to consult a dictionary or native speaker for help with the italics. I have been thinking about this advice. Because I am a contrary person, at first I was outraged – but after a while I could see she had a point: When the foreign words are camouflaged in plain type you can forget how they came to be there, out of place, in the first place.

I have been thinking about this advice and I have decided to follow it.

Now all of my readers will be able to remember which words truly belong in Aotearoa and which do not.