Suddenly there we were
In the days before the U.S.-backed coup that deposed Salvador Allende, cryptic graffiti showed up on walls around the city. Referring to the capital of Indonesia, they read, “Jakarta is coming.”
—Vincent Bevins
When Jakarta did come
we were like children
thinking nothing could change.
We knew about force,
the gun in the nightstand,
the aluminum bat,
machine tempters,
but not city streets.
crumbling under treads,
not the wide stretches
designated as no-go.
All the leaders had ranks
and none of us did
unless you counted insignia
of crazy behind bollards.
Of course there were children.
Don't ask about them.
Food was wealth,
medicine was riches.
Desperation was breathing,
getting us through gas,
blankets of white smoke,
through crushing silence.
There are weeks that will not
come back to me now.
Whose clothes these were,
these boots without laces,
I just made up stories.
There was this old dude
who told me about Jakarta.
He was the only one I knew
who was not surprised.
I think about whether
this was a great gift
or a private curse.