Love In Protest
October 2nd 2014 7:52am I was in the middle of the crowd, a den
of wolves. I hold my picket sign above my head again and bark out
into the cold air. They are scared we will take down their world,
maybe we will, there have been rumours that we will try take the
government buildings.
I carry on aimlessly walking around, occasionally shouting and
chanting with the others. I notice how there are so many people
here, how differently everyone is dressed. I see a man in a dirty white
t-shirt and jeans, a business man in a suit; tie loosened and shirt half
untucked. I then see her, a pretty looking girl, a student maybe? I
see her across the crowd , she is struggling to climb on top of some
concrete blocks. Without thinking I start to walk towards her, I push
and squeeze through the crowds and I finally reach her. She turns
to face me and I nod towards the blocks and she understands my
intent to help so I give her a leg up and she pulls herself up. She
looks back at me and gazed at my eyes for a while, maybe she likes
me? But I will never know as I am swept away by the crowd. I check
my watch and it is 8:15am, I have been here all night, I wonder if
the girl will be here tomorrow.
---
October 2nd 2014 6:21pm, the chaos continues. There was a cycle
race planned for today which would pass through the centre of
Hong Kong, however due to the protests it was cancelled. Despite
this I took my bike anyway and rode down to see the crowds, I took
my camera with me. I arrived and locked my bike up a few streets
down from the commotion and headed towards the mass of people.
I swung my camera strap around my neck, took the lens cap off
and started to snap photos of all the interesting characters I see , I
duck down and climb high to get different angles, it does not help
that I am so short as I struggle to see over the crowds. I see a man
with a dog on a lead, he is sat minding his own business stroking the
mutts head. I wonder why he is here and what he is thinking about .
Maybe he is here for the same reason I am, curiosity. There is such
a vast diversity of people which seamlessly walk amongst each other,
like in perfect sequence. It looks like a colony of ants from my view
at the top of this street lamp. I wonder if the government is thinking
of sprinkling ant powder or boiling water on them? I as think of this
I decide it best if I left before something bad happens as night falls.
---
October 3rd 2014 0:01am. In the middle of what now looks like a
warzone the military are now spraying us with water canons and
throwing tear gas. The crowds dispense like cockroaches. I was hit
by a water canon earlier, it felt like I was drowning, I was being
swallowed up in the chaos and confusion so all I could do, all my
mind could think of was to run. And now here I am on a street
corner a short walk away from the centre, I am looking at some bike
that has been chained to a fence. Who would bring a bike here?
After I recover and collect my thoughts I set off back and regroup
with the crowds, I see others joining me, I feel like the leader of an
army. I charge up, my cavalry follow me with hearts full of rage.
This is war.
That is when I see her again, the student I helped yesterday. My
heart which was just pulsating with rage collapses and crumbles
inside me and I feel my legs weaken as the crowd pushes me to the
side and marches on without me. She sees me, I see her smile a
beautiful smile. Democracy does not seem to matter any more, all
that matters is her.
