An Intrepid Look Into The Future

 

I have been told, and I have heard, that the Word is Love.
A Beatle told me.
A bible told me.
I have been told that All We Need Is Love
A Beatle told me.
A bible told me.
I have been told that Love is the Answer.
I don’t remember who told me.
Probably a Beatle.
And I have been told to Question The Answers.
Dicky Barrett told me.
The Bosstones told me.
I have been told that 2015 was the future.
Marty McFly told me.
Steven Spielberg showed me.
I have been told. I have been shown.

I have been told about Fear.
Mark Wahlberg showed me.
Robert De Niro showed me.
I have been told about Horror.
Stephen King told me,
Clive Barker showed me.
I have been told about Terror.
H.P Lovecraft told me.
And this world has shown me.

But I have learned about honor.
Top Gun showed me.
Maverick showed me.
Goose showed me.
Real soldiers have shown me.
Not in the movies.
Like David Goggins, the strongest man in the world
Or Admiral William McRaven, ho gave wisdom that
starts with making your bed
to ending with don’t ever ring the bell.

And I try and live intrepidly for the future.
My life has told me,
this world has shown me.
this year has shown me
There is bad and good in everybody,
But I try and look at the flip side of the dark side.
And write like Bukowski.
Try and make a difference from this pen, from little ol’ me.
I look into the hearts of insurrectionists and racists,
And I don’t know what I see.
Is it Fear, Terror, Cowardice? Not sure, but I know its not the way
I want to be.
I want to live in a loving America
from sea to shining sea,
but the veil has been lifted. Read Howard Zinn, you’ll see
that we have made a lot of mistakes,
Culminated in 2016, and the rise of Donald Trump,
We lost a lot of face, we lost a lot of love.
We have lost a lot of lives,
Due to COVID-19. Two million last time I checked.
That number is obscene!

But I look into the future intrepidly.
Like a man who looks at the sea and jumps head in,
and reaches the bottom, and does not get the bends.
I look at the upside, of the ruin
and try and make sense of this mess.

I look to the world
to heal.
To blister and peal,
to renew its snakeskin
and start over here.

I move intrepidly into the future.
I move away from death, disease, and murder.
I move away from intolerance, bigotry, and indignation.
I move away from racism, insurrection and molestation of this nation.

I go towards the light, like a moth,
if there ever was one.
If Happiness is a Warm Gun
then I want to be a gun
but never want to have to use one.

I move intrepidly into the future
as a new president takes the oath.
And the oaf that was in his place
moves back down to Maro Lago.
I want all the corruption to go,
all the mistrust with it.
I want to say goodbye to this nitwit president
and let some kind of healing begin.

I move intrepidly into the future.
I have to.
I am not a shell or turtle.
If I am a turtle, it’s a sea turtle, cause they are super wise,
and old, and have dived deeper,
and have seen more than both me and you.

So, I bid you adieu 45, Trump, Drumpf\.
There is still a lot of work ahead of us.
But lets put this litmus test to rest
and let all of US, move intrepidly,
with no fear,
into this, what they call The

Future.

 

Jason Wright is the editor and founder of Oddball Magazine. His column appears weekly. His latest book is Train of Thought.