巨變中的書寫
巨變中的書寫

駐墨爾本的自由運動觀察人.

一個悄悄地破碎的媽媽

星期日被鎖在外面的咖啡館主持人組成了一個自由的擁抱的軍隊。成員是五六名媽媽和有興趣的民眾。在新冠的騙局下。防疫的1.5米距離等等把人與人的接觸都封閉了。取而代之的是恐懼。人與人不信任的恐懼隔離。麥可在Caufield Calors night 聖誕歌曲平安夜的活動寫下動人的樂章。

我到達她身邊時已是黃昏時分。當唱詩班在紀念碑前唱頌歌時,她正和她的兩個小兒子坐在毯子上。我和一個助手正在分發節目和糖果手杖,並拿著一個裝滿捐款的桶。這裏大約有四百人,大部分是家庭,但不是全部。接種疫苗的人和未接種疫苗的人聚集在一起,慶祝新的反傳統文化的非歧視性的燭光頌歌。

當我把節目單遞給她,讓她一起唱時,她知道我的名字,我看得出她很難過。

你想要一個擁抱嗎?我問道。他們是免費的。

於是她站起來,在我的懷裏哭了起來。

你失去了工作嗎?我問。因為這是很常見的故事。

沒有,她低聲說。不是這樣的。

然後我看著她轉身離開她的小男孩,他們正忙著拆開他們的糖果手杖,我看著她真的掙紮著忍住了眼淚。

她說,是隱藏。不斷地撒謊。在工作中,她假裝自己是個合格的人,假裝自己是個快樂的人。

我很孤獨,她說。但我能做什麽呢?我不知道該怎麽做。我是一個有兩個孩子的單親媽媽。

然後她又擁抱了我,我能感覺到她在顫抖,我們只有聖誕頌歌、糖果手杖和充滿古老基督教節歌曲的節目。

在當天的抗議活動中,我和五六名婦女組成了#freehugarmy自由擁抱軍隊。在遊行過程中,我們一直呆在一邊,向觀看的人舉著我們的自由擁抱標志。

"政府正試圖用恐懼來分裂我們,我們正試圖用擁抱來彌合分裂的局面。下來吧,讓我們擁抱一下。回到我們可以唱國歌認真的歌詞:我們年輕,我們自由。"


大多數人只是背對著商店的門面,戴著面具,眼神露出驚恐。但有些人打破這種局面並接受了我們的擁抱提議。有趣的是,許多人在接受之前似乎都在顫抖,就像他們在甩掉枷鎖,然後他們大步向前,擁抱我們。我是說我們,他們會在我們的歡呼聲中從一個走向另一個。

有一個人不僅走回來擁抱我們,之後還扯下了他的面具。

我看到了成千上萬的人在城市街道上遊行,他們都提供 "免費的擁抱"。每一個被接受的擁抱都在努力彌合鴻溝。

但是沒有一個擁抱能治愈這個女人,她的傷口越來越深。他們是被虐待的配偶的傷痕,只是這裏的虐待者是她的家人和朋友,工作的同事和老板,主流媒體,他們所有的恐懼色情,以及她的省長和首相。所有這些人都迫使她,為了保住她的工作,她的房屋貸款,迫使她生活在幸福的謊言中。

除了擁抱之外,我無法提供任何幫助,我在穿過人群時發現了其他一些婦女,問她們是否可以去和她談談,她們去做了。

拋開免費的擁抱,現在被那些因被恐懼感染的人拉著我們走向黑暗彼端。但是每一個夜晚都會以黎明結束,我相信這就是我們迎向黎明的方式,在一起。

更重要的是,我相信這些勇敢的抗議者是幫助引導我們到達黎明那裏的光。

邁克爾-格雷-格裏菲斯


One Quietly Breaking Mum

It was twilight when I reached her. She was sitting on a blanket with her two young boys as the choir sang carols from the Cenotaph. Myself and a helper were distributing programmes and candy canes and carrying a tub full of donations. There was around four hundred people here, mostly families, but not all. The vaccinated and the unvaccinated coming together to celebrate the new counter culture’s non-discriminatory Carols by Candlelight.

As I handed her a programme, so she could singalong she knew my name and I could see she was upset. 

You want a hug? I asked. They’re free. 

So she stood up, and in my arms teared up. 

Have you lost your job? I asked. For this was the common story. 

No, she whispered. It’s not that. 

And then I watched her turn away from her young boys, who were busy unwrapping their candy canes, and I watched her really struggle to hold the tears in. 

It’s the hiding she said. The constant lying. The pretending to be on board, to be happy at work with the narrative. 

I’m so alone, she said. But what can I do? I don’t know what to do. I’m a single mum with two kids. 

And then she hugged me again, and I could feel her shaking, and all we had was carols, candy canes and programmes full of old Christian Carols.

During the day’s protest myself and five or six women had formed the #freehugarmy. We had stayed on the side during the march, holding up our free hug signs to those watching.

“The Government is trying to divide us with fear, we are trying to heal the divide with hugs. Come on down and let’s hug our way back to where we can sing the National Anthem and mean it, We are young and we are free.”

Most just pressed their backs to the shop fronts, their masks on, their eyes frightened. But some broke from this and accepted our offer. What was interesting is many seemed to shudder before they did, it was like they were shaking off chains and then they’d stride forward and hug us. And I mean us, they would move from one to another as we cheered. 

One man not only walked back and hugged us, but afterwards ripped off his mask. 

I had a vision of thousands marching down the city streets all offering “free hugs.” Each hug that was accepted working to heal the divide.

But no hug would heal this woman, her growing wounds were deep. They were the bruises of an abused spouse, except here the abusers were her family and friends, work colleagues and boss, the mainstream media, with all their fear porn, and her Premier and her Prime Minister. All of them forcing her, in order to keep her job, her mortgage to live in the lie that she’s happy.

Unable to offer any help other than a hug, I found some other women when I was walking through the crowd and asked if they could go talk to her, and they did. 

Free Hugs aside we are currently heading into darkness, pulled there by those who are infected with fear. But every night ends with a dawn and I believe that this is how we reach it, together.

More than that, I believe these brave protesters are the light that will help guide us there. 

Michael Gray Griffith

CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 版权声明

喜欢我的文章吗?
别忘了给点支持与赞赏,让我知道创作的路上有你陪伴。

加载中…

发布评论