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Did you manage to stay dry, haijin? Some of you embraced the rain!

Congratulations to last week’s contributors

Haikai Challenge Participants 

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Looking ahead to the coming week!

This Thursday, on July 4th, the United States celebrates Independence day. You may have heard the story: how thirteen colonies of the United Kingdom declared their independence in Philadelphia, while a ragtag army fought the world’s superpower to make that declaration a fact. Of course, being a summer holiday, expect the barbeques, flag-waving and fireworks. But this year, Independence has an even more significant implication for all of us.

In the United States, and throughout the world, factions of voters have successfully elected governments that espouse policies stating “for us, only.” Whether its Brexit, criminalization of undocumented entry into the US, or military expulsion of ethnic minorities (see Miyamarr), the actions of governments stand for the in-crowd alone. Literally.

I can’t speak for countries that evolved out of a predominant ethnicity, but I can testify to a creedal country such as the United States. Let me make this clear: Everyone here is a descendant of immigrants. Even Indigenous Americans hail from ancestors that crossed the Bering Strait land bridge. Certainly, every European-descended American comes from a European–an immigrant. Therefore, the hostility toward immigrants is distinctly unamerican.

Yes, countries have a right to maintain borders and control who comes in. Right now, however, it seems like certain factions prefer to muck up any attempt to implement sensible immigration policies. Perhaps some benefit from undocumented workers and the shadow economy in which they become trappped. Perhaps others just can’t help holding onto nativists beliefs. It doesn’t matter. The hostility toward immigrants, and the violation of their human rights by draconian policies, is wrong! Period!

So this independence day, let us declare our independence from the “only my own” herd. Let us declare our independence from the mindsets of “They’re taking away our (insert the blank). Let us declare our independence from that claptrap and stand for the true inter-dependence that has allowed our species to survive.

This week, write the haikai poem of your choice that states, references or alludes to independence.

As always:

Here’s how the challenge works:

1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributors’ posts.

(Note: I’m going on vacation this week, so I will not be posting results of this challenge next week. Fear not: A post acknowledging contributors will come!)

Let true freedom ring, haijin!