tiananmen bicycles

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks
hurry along
beijing streets
to different
rhythms

you can’t freewheel in a tank
you can’t feel the breeze in your hair in a tank
you can’t ring your bell and catch a smile in a tank

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks

you can’t crush tents on a bicycle
you can’t crush bicycles on a bicycle
you can’t crush people on a bicycle

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks
hurry along
beijing streets
to different
tunes

your freewheeling
your risktaking
your bravedancing
stopped us in our
tracks
– threatened to melt even hearts of armoured steel

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks

out of the buckled frames
of your dreams
we will salvage
and remember
and forge
new bicycles
to carry us along

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks

out of the buckled frames
of your dreams
I will salvage
and remember
and forge
a new bicycle
to carry me along
so that
one day
we may pass each other by
freewheeling and
conspiring with the breeze
ringing our bells to the winds
stealing laughter and smiles
from one another

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks

we will couple
the courage
and the compassion
you left behind

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks

tank tracks
leave marks

bicycle wheels
make revolutions

tiananmen bicycles
and
tiananmen tanks
hurry along
beijing streets
to different
rhythms