first, let me say
there are no words.
and, with that understanding,
journey with me
to the Moment of Silence.
so hot, the subway that morning, platforms relatively empty.
an endless wait for a train.
an hour perhaps? time travelling so slowly.
at last, the "A" to Lincoln Center.
maybe 10AM?
"The future enters into us, in order to transform itself in us, long before it happens." Rainer Maria Rilke
the scaffolding of the March stretches
like dangling promises draped down Central Park West,
as far as one, though tiptoed, can see
a brilliantly pregnant palette of unmatched place mats
- banners, floats, signs, parachutes --
wait on the streets
by 69th,
say 15 minutes later - in the time it takes to snap one’s fingers -
the streets flood with people, as if
bursting free from every orifice of the city,
emptying pockets
11:30 comes and passes
we wait to march.
well after noon
a nuance of progress forward, foot by foot
what hour the moment of silence?
is it 1?
impossible this, in such a crowd,
1.5, perhaps 2 hundred thousand?
we muse
when word suddenly cycles from the front
"Two Minutes. Pass it on."
we relay the message back 30-odd blocks.
yet already the countdown sweeps over us
"10, 9, 8 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2...”
A profound hush, ten seconds perhaps, the vigil
punctuated by a single cry from a baby.
eyes salt with tears. dazzled, awed.
everyone, everything melts
as from a mile behind us
a euphony of sound snowballs forward,
swelling as it gains momentum,
raw, urgent, joyous ardent, it
gathers us up and moves on.
Then, tonal trambolines toss us up,
our spirits, scattered sheets of music, vortex together, whirling ever upwards,
propelled by primal passion, so powerful,
pure -
we are connected, dispersed together, beyond barriers
of space time, dimension
hovering, fluttering luminescent in hums and hues
of the dance.
we are there, now
gathering energy
suspended beyond the stars.
sliding back into consciousness
from a glimpse into the eternal.
after this,
how can we not dare disturb so small a universe?
for now
we are awake
charmed by a coda of insight,
we are invincible,
an army of spirit soldiers, soldiers of the moment.
We march faster now forward into time
across the line into the future, bound together forever
beneath a banner
whose message eludes translation
unless you had been there, in the moment.
We are coming for you, for the earth
all eyes open when we arrive
we are not too late
we are transformed, we will find you,
you will find us
we will do this
together
“And all of this land
Moves around you
For all that you claim
You’re standing still
You are moving too,
You are moving, too
You are moving, too
I will move with you.”
Song For You. Alexi Murdoch
This is the final post in "The Moment of Silence: A Trilogy", a series of three responses to the Moment of Silence at the People's Climate March.
September 21, 2014: A Silence For Now, For Then, For What Will Be by WarrenS
People's Climate March: The Wave by The Poet Deploreate