madame Bartleby
i would rather stay here, she said
i would rather not stray to the edge of the square
here in the centre, i like it better
i would rather stay here
certainly not move an inch
rather not wear that red dress
now is no time to dance
girls and women, including female reporters, are being expelled, with (sexual) violence, from streets and squares during the Tahrir Squareميدان التحرير protests in 2011 en 2013
* about Bartleby, read Herman Melville’s story, Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street (1853):”In this very attitude did I sit when I called to him, rapidly stating what it was I wanted him to do—namely, to examine a small paper with me. Imagine my surprise, nay, my consternation, when without moving from his privacy, Bartleby in a singularly mild, firm voice, replied, “I would prefer not to.””
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