A Day to Remember

If I ruled the world, the people would not have to protest in the street to voice their opinion. I would welcome the people at all times; I would facilitate compromises; I would not abuse my power or my authority, and justice would be served.

The streets emptied of cars and people, and the air grew quiet. With my belongings in my hand, I walked towards the armed tanks. The streets of Tiananmen Square never felt so long. The greens of the trees blended with the camouflage of the tanks. The white and black of my attire reflected the lamp posts. I saw the buildings all in shades of grey. Dirty, broken pieces of glass bottles, torn leaflets, and burnt torches remained on the streets. I was as fragile as a toothpick compared to this machine. We met eye-to-eye like cowboys in a western shootout.

If I ruled the world, I would have turned these tanks around. I would have stopped the army from massacring three-thousand civilians. If I ruled the world, there would be no more unjust killings; there would be no demonstrations of violence.

I was facing down the tank. Sweat dripped down from my face, and my knees grew weak. The reminder of my motive (justice!) lent me courage.

This is a protest, this is not a playground. This is violence, this is not peace. This is a massacre, this is not a celebration. This is a demonstration, this is not ignorance. These are students, these are not our enemies.

I feel pain in the air. I feel pain in my legs. I feel pain in my arms. I feel pain in his eyes. I feel pain in his conscience. I feel pain in China. These pains guide me; to go forth, to turn left, to turn right, to blockade the tanks, to climb onto the tank, to plead: "Cease the attack!"

This is brutal, this is not soothing. This is crossing the line, this is not playing fair. These are armed soldiers, these are not tree huggers. This is a revolution in the making, this is not just another day. This is communism, this is not democracy. This is a social demand for a change, this is not an agreement. This is a shooting, this is not a standing ovation. This is a powerful image, this is no stick figure.

If I ruled the world, I would remain nameless like the man standing in front of the tanks. I would rule with the voice of the people.