Lesley Boland #19 Inertia and momentum
Something bad was being done to higher education. I went to the rally. Leaflets
were thrust into my hands. The situation was explained very earnestly. I
understood how I should feel about it. But curiosity, embarrassment, and
uncertainty were the things I felt.
Five or six people threaded quickly through the loose crowd. They formed a close
circle on the pavement and fussed over something large. Something like a body
was thrust up, dangling uncannily from a pole. A whiff of kerosene.
‘No more fees! No more fees!’
The crowd joined in, lifelessly. The thing that was like a body smoked and
swayed. A piece of paper on its chest: ‘John Howard’ in large print. It caught
alight. The rope tying the effigy to the pole burned through. The straw-stuffed
shirt and trousers fell to the ground.
The instigators dispersed haphazardly, glancing over their shoulders for
signs of pursuit. The last of the flames were torched out by a security guard
wielding a fire extinguisher. The camera crew packed up.
Two months later, legislation
was passed. I graduated and looked for a job. The cement remained discoloured
by faded scorch marks.
I like this piece of nostalgia. Can you be more forthcoming about these lines?
ReplyDelete"The situation was explained very earnestly. I understood how I should feel about it."
Thank you.
Thanks for your comments, Myron. I was trying to capture a sense of alienation on the part of the narrator. The people who organised the rally, or were intimately involved, are earnest. They are sharing not just information about the fee changes the government intended to make, but also the intensity of their feelings about it. The narrator understands what's going on, and can see how strongly people feel about it, but can't share in those emotions. It's meant to show the narrators inertia amidst all the activity around her.
DeleteLesley, this recalled student days for me with a demo and a giant puppet of Malcolm Fraser, on campus. So vivid. But also my uncertainties. Though I was there.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah. I am glad it resonated with you.
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