The riot squad policeman
bellowed
at the young
hyacinth-headed woman
“Get back on the sidewalk!”
As others locked arms
to block the street
she paused
looked at him
with tender calm
sighed a smile
and asked:
“Does this mean
you don’t love me
anymore?”
He reddened
beneath
the plexiglass shield
She saddened
“We’re breaking up,
aren’t we?”
A surprising silence
amid the ruckus
– Marcus Rediker
The Republican National Convention 2000
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania