A revolving wheel of metal chairs
Hung on chains, squealing
Four little children flying out
A blind man sings in Arabic
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
Lost upon a revolving wheel
(I heard it was 28,000)
Now you see them, now you don’t
Children vanish ‘hind vehicle
Now you see them, now you don’t
Faces, limbs, a bouncing skull
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
All that’s left after a year
(I heard it was 28,000)
A faded face, the trace of an ear
(I heard it was 28,000)
A tableau of the missing
Tied to the government building
8,000 sun-bleached photographs
Faded with the roses(*)
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
Lost upon a revolving wheel
(I heard it was 28,000)
All that’s left after a year
(I heard it was 28,000)
A faded face, the trace of an ear
(I heard it was 28,000)
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade...
Hung on chains, squealing
Four little children flying out
A blind man sings in Arabic
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
Lost upon a revolving wheel
(I heard it was 28,000)
Now you see them, now you don’t
Children vanish ‘hind vehicle
Now you see them, now you don’t
Faces, limbs, a bouncing skull
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
All that’s left after a year
(I heard it was 28,000)
A faded face, the trace of an ear
(I heard it was 28,000)
A tableau of the missing
Tied to the government building
8,000 sun-bleached photographs
Faded with the roses(*)
Hey little children don’t disappear
(I heard it was 28,000)
Lost upon a revolving wheel
(I heard it was 28,000)
All that’s left after a year
(I heard it was 28,000)
A faded face, the trace of an ear
(I heard it was 28,000)
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade out
And watch them fade...
(*) This is probably a reference to the collection of 2,000-3,000 photographs which have covered the fence around the Government Building in Kosovo since 1999. The subjects are ethnic Albanians who disappeared during the 1999 Kosovo war — presumed to have been systematically massacred by Serbian nationalists. The photographs are there to pressure the government into revealing where the missing are, as well as serving as a tribute. Family members often leave flowers there.
Contributed by dq82 - 2016/4/16 - 11:43
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2016
The Hope Six Demolition Project
The Community of Hope - The Ministry of Defence - A Line in the Sand - Chain of Keys - All Near the Memorials to Vietnam and Lincoln - Dollar, Dollar - The Wheel
It’s on firmer footing when Harvey goes for straightforward reportage, attempting to devise a lyrical equivalent of stark, black and white photojournalism. The Wheel depicts children in a village near Prinzen in Kosovo squealing with delight on a fairground ride, next to a building plastered with “sun-bleached photographs” of other children killed in ethnic cleansing.