Breaking The Silence

I have a deep love for the city of Beijing – my home for eighteen years. However, it must surely have been one of the noisiest cities in which to live. The relentless commotion came at you from every angle. 

In every cell of my being 

You seep in

Piercing the silence

Breaking the flow that is calm

Your power brings supremacy 

Infiltrating all that is

Peaceful and composed

Creating commotion in minds

Thought patterns influenced

Interrupted

Anxiety intensifies

Affecting decisions

High-pitched shrieks of excitement

Celebrating online purchases

Levels increasing

Breaking the silence

Insecurities and fears of little ones 

Vocal and frantic

Searching for carers

Manic

Surges of noise

Advancing. Retreating

Polluting our souls

Leaving behind a signature

Jack-hammers in motion

Abolishing the old

Tearing down the past 

A shredded landscape 

Ayis yelling

Jubilant reunions 

Stories animated of days spent caring for others

Louder and louder

Taxi drivers bellowing

Tones of exasperation

Beepers shrieking

Competing with all

Bulldozers loading trucks

Blue in colour of bygone era

The mind-numbing rumble of development

Reverberating

Traffic droning

The blackness of officialdom

Foghorns in the night

Never silent

The vibrating of purifiers

Attempting to cleanse

The deep guttural clearing of throats

Discharging toxins

A city in constant motion

Supporting relentless invasions

Forever all

Breaking the silence