The color of courage

Surely, it's madness
it's insanity—that he walked on.
That he stood alone, facing
hundreds of the police with their rifles 
pointing at him. 
And
he shouted. 
And
he showed—what courage looks like.
What youth is made of. 
Right then, there, the shot was fired.
Valor lay still on the dusty street, dripping
blood, colouring the earth 
with the colour of courage—RED.
RED
1. The colour that screams like police vans, the rifles, pointed at people, point-black.
2. The blood stains on the clothes after the bricks are thrown, after the shots are fired.
3. After the bodies are dragged down the roads, leaving marks.
4. How the protesters with posters and banners look like in daylight!
5. How the streets filled with graffiti look like in moonlight!
6. The colour of Facebook screens on a particular day for a particular cause.
7. The colour of rebellion, hundreds of thousands of closed fists, shouting reform.  
8. The colour of sky, just after dusk, heralding a new beginning, a new era.
9. The procession, carrying flags, celebrating victory.
10. The colour of freedom. 

Marzia Rahman is a flash fiction writer and translator. Author of two books, The Aftermath and Dot and Other Flashes, she has been published widely in both print and online journals.