The author of the following sweet treatment of an anti-Trump protestor realized she needed to fill in the surreal background from which a very real girl had emerged:
Black night in the city and police water hoses and smoke backlit. But almost lazily done by cops, just as any breakage by bare chest kids was momentary and quick. But it was a funny setting for her, so lively so in her life…
I did see, the other night, a most wonderful girl—let run, unusually run in full—who wasn’t thinking about the teevee asker (one of those Hallies), distracted because she had to “find her brother” at the Albquerque protest, who nevertheless managed to keep all the clothing of her daily work play family life on, no stripping to TV bare nuthin—she resented some fuckin Trumpers coming by the protest to “protest” her, as if “her kind” were all unemployed and get a job and you’re trash (she did tone beautiful and quick) and came back with we (she and friends and family she came with work 40 hours and go to school and now, along with ((she looks around, all into the search)) finding her brother she gotta go pick up her Ma at end of 12 hour shift at hospital (nooooo her mom aint doctor or resident that we can tell) and all this inflected with workingclass straightness and—yep, even Chris Mathews named it, he was struck silent then blurted, wholly Captivating—as a girl, as a I-want-to-kiss you. She was young young, the protest against Trump that started early eve was to “block Trump with love” and SORRY it was just young but it was OKAY, coz it was immediately followed by “we were all just out there it was nice there weren’t just us there were families” (as if she and brother and friend didn’t fall in category of family by absence of her mother, at work). “yeah we’re all for Bernie.” She was spitfire pretty and eloquently in her life as she talked, as if teevee asker couldn’t breach her great full consciousness.
Made bernie look good.
The kids are alright.