“There! At the intersection!”
(shouted offscreen)
“Got it, got it!”
(voice nearest camera as it swings)
great red cab, 18 wheels
stopped at the blockade
six men wrench at its door
drag driver to the pavement
feet, fists flail about his head
his crime, his white skin driving
in a city of dark angels on
the night of cops’ acquittal
“Hit the siren!”
(voice closest to camera)
“One more minute…”
(the reply)
story filmed, footage shot
sound edited
the siren’s song
just a little too late
Shelly Bryant splits her time between Shanghai and Singapore, teaching English literature and writing, and also studying Chinese language. She loves to read, write, cycle, and travel. Bryant’s first poetry collection, Cyborg Chimera, was released by Sam’s Dot Publishing in October 2009, and her second, Under the Ash, is due out at the end of 2010.
Eunoia Review 
I remember this; though I was in Korea when all of this happened.
Very intense and gritty.
Thanks Jeffrey. I’ve since seen the same video clip on TV several times, but with the dialogue between the camera crew edited out.
Not all of my poetry is autobiographical, of course, but this little conversation is one that I really did sit and listen to on TV as it happened. I’ve always remembered it with a real sense of horror.