Velvet Revolution by Peter Humphreyson saturday
after noon
in Prague
within
the cry
of children
they lie
on autumn grass
foetal
prone
and
open
to attack
as in times
not
so long
gone
when
we took
the blows
to head
and bone
from
truncheons harsh
on stone
and bone
and suffered
our way
to
freedom 10/16/2006
Author's Note: When the discredited Communist regime was overthrown in November 1989 by popular resistance, it stood in stark contrast to the brutal repression that had followed the previous uprising in 1968 which was suppressed only with the help of Soviet tanks. Such memories live on in the streets, the parks and above all the consciousness of the citizens of Prague.
Posted on 10/16/2006 Copyright © 2025 Peter Humphreys
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