You will see thousands of colourful fabrics like a flock of pigeons.

Boldly written on every paper; Freedom! Power! Democracy! The entire thesaurus, really.

Burnished teeth of the emperors reflected by the camera flashes. Ready to only answer praises.

The jingle of people flowing in the air and streams into your ears.

You will also find stunning scenery from some of the fighters:

Kissing the home of their heart,

Forget that they were apart,

Humming dreams--ready to restart.

And if thorough, you will notice a forgotten little figure sitting on a shattered wall.

Splotches of red painted on her legs and arms. Waiting to be erased

by the wind, who watched all of the madness with silence. 

Her sights roaming on the flattened castles, which once filled with giggles

and later, flames spilt from the sky without warning. Burst and screams

forever stuck in her skull. Alongside the void’s grasp and a murmur:

now what?

Hati Bening Asy-Syahiidah

Juni 2021