A Bright Night in Lhasa
A hush blankets the city, the atmosphere hanging heavy in my chest as quiet shadows scurry along, empty faces and dull eyes skirting around in the night. I see men in green uniforms leering through the dark, fingering belts adorned with batons and assault rifles, and the black-blue of insidious silence settles like a film on my skin. An explosion rips the air apart crimson and gold robed bodies catch fire in the darkness around me, self-immolating in the square, the scent of burning skin invades my nostrils, sticking in the back of my throat: a gruesome call to action. Bodies thrown upon the ground at my feet flame in passionate display, smouldering as they rise from submission, spreading arms above their heads I watch molten wings bringing light to the horrors witnessed in the shadows: I see broken creatures illuminated crumpled on the pavement, fingers crushed beneath steel boots, fractured bones and bloodied faces-- a nation’s pain splayed upon the cobblestones as monsters wearing men’s skin smirk from the corners. The cries of a people ring in my ears as the square writhes in agony, prayers echo from burning mouths, the mournful call of defiance sitting cool on scorched tongues and the world itself weeps. Salt and soot flow together down the streets like blood pooling at the knees of a woman screaming as she is thrown against the wall again and again and again, left shattered and gasping on the ground, I clutch at my stomach, breaking inside of me as I stare at her tear stained face. Charred flesh bears witness to depravity executed upon the innocent, flames dancing in manic throes cast grotesque pictures upon the wall, I watch scenes of violent subjugation playing out on the stones before me as voices chant in dissent, “We are still here, the city is burning.” Bio: Perry Gasteiger is a queer, non-binary poet. Their work focuses on the mundane darkness of our everyday world using juxtaposition between the real and the abstract, the beautiful and the deformed, the congruent and the disordered. Perry aims to see the easily unnoticeable in an evocative and empathetic way. Socials: Twitter: @sunshineloft
Fevers of the Mind 