The Escape（XE）

    *      XIX      *

Ordinary people are ordinarily unnoticed

        in this very big and always busy world.

Unimportant thing will never be reported

        by public media, official paper or person.

That year hundreds of thousands Chinese people

        ventured to escape the despotism to the free world.

All for the same reason, with a similar adventure,

        no one and nothing was particular or prominent.

Some peoples’ names were registered

        and temporarily kept as a police record.

All their stories soon were carried away

        by the mountain wind and river water.

This old man and his featureless account

        were scrawled down by a poet later.  

Do you think he can be publicly known,

        can be forever recorded or remembered?

That day, when the moon set,

        the sun soon was about to rise.

The clouds were first black then red,

        then partially yellow and bright.  

Several policemen routinely patrolled

        along the border river’s south side.

They saw this old man on the muddy bank,

        lying on his belly, eyes closed, head awry.

He looked totally motionless and lifeless

        but still had some weak breaths.

They hurriedly brought him to a camp

        to save him from the verge of death.

After several kinds of medications     

        and several days’ food and rest.

Slowly he could get up and get down

        soon regain his normal health.

He went out of the ward to ask someone

        how would things progress;

Discovered they looked so worried,

        they looked all so sad!

He was consciously bewildered

        and ominously surprised.

Falteringly he asked them,

        “What’s... the matter... Why?”

They told him bitterly,

        they were not welcome there.

“We are under arrest,

        soon will be delivered back!” 

He was so shocked,

        as if struck by a thunder!

Trembling and mumbling,

        slumped on his buttocks.

They hurriedly reached him

        to pull him up;

Crutched and helped him

        back to his bed.

He moaned and moaned,

        wept and wept;

Constantly called Heaven  

        and hit his bed.

“The westerners,” he thought,

        “cherish Christian charity and humanism.

Especially they often

        advocate human rights and freedom.”

“How can they stuff their own mouths?

        How can they slap their own faces?

How can they send us sheep back,

        return to the tigers -- into Hades!”

As he sobbed and thought,

        the policemen came once more.

They brought with them

        a big convoy of trucks.

Entering the camp,

        immediately they issued an order,

“Everybody get aboard!

        You all shall be sent back!”

He heard it in bed;

        his spirit fled.

Hurriedly he got out

        to see their head.

With an audible thump

        he knelt down before them.

As audibly he kowtowed;

        he kowtowed and begged.

Other people also knelt down,

        everywhere in the yard.

They cried painfully and loudly,

        it could move a iron heart.

Police were carrying out orders,

        could only be stiff and hard

They forced them on board

        with batons and barks.

After all trucks were packed,

        the big convoy set off.

They drove to the border

        with high speed, tight escort.

All along the road,

       some people still cried aloud.

The local people could only

      throw them food, stare at a loss.

Arrived and stopped,

        they transferred and changed guards.

With butts and bayonets

        the Communists drove them to get off.

With more force and brutality

        they assembled them into squads.

So as to be transported

        to the inland detention house.

There some soldiers barked.

        Here some soldiers cursed.

There some people wept.

        Here some people muttered.

Young men stumbled by the goads.

        Old men scrambled in the dirt.

Parents closely held their children.

        Children loudly cried for their mothers.

        *       XX      *

Suddenly! They heard the burst of a gun!

        So sharp! Mountains and heavens roared!

All the peoples stopped to move,

        silently they turned their heads to look.

They saw, there!  That old man!

        Now, was standing on a bunker by the road.

In his hand, an automatic rifle;

        from its muzzle, a curl of smoke.

“Everybody keep quiet!

        Everybody stand there still!

Whoever dares to move

        shall be instantly killed!

Put down the weapons you hold!  

        Everyone raise your hands!

Listen to my words!

        Obey my command!

“Do not be afraid!

        My foreign old friends.

I shall not kill you.

        You egoists, you skinflints!

You are all so pitiful.

        You are all unworthy!

You know nothing but money,

        and you make money dirty!

 “Someone will kill you!

        Sooner or later.

It’s your present friends,

        who live over there!

You will taste your own bullets,

        that you aided them for benefit.

They’ll use the guns you made,

        which you traded with them for profit!

“And do not be afraid!

        Here all my ‘comrades’.

I shall not kill you either.

        You too are unfortunate.

You are still immature,

        similar to my child.

You sure are forced,

        or are cheated.

“I leave you to remember

        our disaster of today.

I leave you to tell

        your descendants in later days.

Overthrowing the tyranny,

        relies also upon you!

All things depend on ourselves,

        the effort of our own!

“Dear fellow sufferers.

        Now my fellow prisoners.

Who want to die here, now!

        Not to die there, later.

So you won’t secretly disappear,

        or be publicly tried.

won’t be hanged and displayed,  

        or be buried alive!

“Please move a few steps,

        come here to the front.  

Today I have the power.

        Now I have a gun!

I am willing to help you

        to leave this bitter land.

So you won’t suffer --

        anymore, from anyone!”

Among those escapees,

        there were some stirs.

So many hesitated,

        then stepped forward.

Those soldiers and policemen

        were so stunned or surprised.

Stood there with hands raising

        with sore faces, stupid eyes.

“Now let us raise our fists

        to chant some slogans also.

Today I shall lead,

        you all shall follow.

Everybody hold still!

        Do not try to move!

My gun is full of bullets.

        It has eyes, too!”

“Long live humanism!”

        “Long live humanism!”

“Long live freedom!”

        “Long live freedom!”

 “Long live we Chinese and foreigners”

        “Long live we Chinese and foreigners”

“Our neighborhood and friendship!”

        “Our neighborhood and friendship!”

“Long live the human rights!”

        “Long live the human rights!”

“Long live the laws of nature!”

        “Long live the laws of nature!”

“Long live our country and people!”

        “Long live our country and people!”

“Our virtues, cultures, and future!”

        “Our virtues, cultures, and future!”

Suddenly a gun started to crack!

        Shockingly, successively it cackled!

Many men lay down to the ground.

        Many, low stooped, or down squatted.

Some held their heads and trembled.

        A few even pulled their legs to run.

Some of them only stood there stiffly,

        closed their eyes, clenched their hands.

The gun soon stopped! Silently stopped.

        Peoples stopped running or moving, too.

Slowly they straightened or scrambled up.

        Fearfully and carefully turned to look.

They saw no one was killed or injured. 

        Nothing else had happened, or was wrong.

Only that old man standing on the bunker,

        now had fallen, was lying, on the ground.

Bristling and stirring was his hair.

        Bare and grating were his teeth.

One hand still firmly held his rifle.

        One hand tightly clenched as a fist.

His torso was full of blood and holes.

        His head tilted back, his chin high.

So widely open were both his eyes.

        They stared steadily at the blue sky.

In the sky, some white clouds

        slowly slipped toward the west.

Toward the zenith, the red sun

        fiercely pierced peoples’ eyes.

Over the sea, some ships were leaving,

        suddenly and sorrowfully, they mooed.

On land, trucks and trains were arriving

        with roaring sounds, rolling dusts and smoke….

This event occurred in May 1962.

This epic was first written a bit later.
Some people called the event 'Great Escape in May'.
Some preferred to called it 'Refugees Waves in May'.

Since the reform and opening up in China,

under the better and better later leaders,

together with our countrymen’s endeavor,

both political and economic conditions

were remarkably improved in recent years.

I believe such an event will never re-occur.

Has been harmed,

should always remember the hurt.

Hopefully this poem

may serve as a mirror and reminder.

For only their personal benefit,

but under the banners of public benefit,

a clique of criminals revolted to revolutionize,

all people in China long suffered from their crimes.

Poet here only write a few lines.

Their total crimes will be liquidate by historians.

Hopefully our compatriots can be enlightened,

never will be fooled and never will fight such a war again.

Poet would also like to point out:

Those criminals’ ‘revolution and achievements’

had almost cut off the precious life of our

nation’s moral tradition and magnificent civilization.

China’s achievements today

are not built on top of their 'achievements'.
Actually they are achieved by later leaders’

reform and revival and their silent re-revolution.

Reformers showed their great strategy and wise leadership:
Their strategy is for the good of country and people,

not for creating themselves a god or emperor.

Their leadership is a collective leadership,

no to be a despot.

Combined with the wisdom of my fellow countrymen,

their struggles and strive for self-improvement;

so they can establish a powerful and prosperous,

an unprecedented new nation and horizon.

Tyrant’s time is temporal,   
People’s time is eternal.
Tyrannical regime is disastrous.
Benevolent regime is prosperous.  

08/05/2012

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