2 Minutes. Go!

He pulled for the surface with all his strength, but the world had changed. What used to be ordered and logical was now a maelstrom of churned and frothing water. He tried to open his eyes wider, but the salt stung and sand eddies blocked his line of sight. 

Everything slowed to syrup. Time was suddenly thick and malleable. He almost felt like he could rewind the whole thing…pull it back and make a different choice which would lead to a different outcome. 

As the oxygen left his lungs, his vision stunted. He could see a red horizon that came from inside himself. There was a moment of panic and then calm.

It was rough at first, but the ocean wore him smooth. 

2 Minutes. Go!

Sing your song, for I am the one who is all ears, waiting. Make it strange and loud and make it so unique the world stops to notice. Spin and let the sound fall out of you. Project it, strangle it, choke it out of you if you must. Conjure it, excavate it, claim it!

Fill your belly with fire and spit the smoke and ash, let us read the proclamations hidden in the flames. Let us read our future in the ashes. I will mix them with blood to paint my face for battle.

Believe your eyes, but know that they can only see so much. Some of it, you will find inside of you already. Your passion, your fear, your ache…these are the cornerstones of your crumbling facade.

Punch the air! Strike a chord! Fuck you and fuck the horse you rode in on.

Bang the gong!

2 Minutes. Go!

Did you hear the sound? Did you feel it in your bones? Did it crawl inside you and plant seeds? Can you feel the way it slithers on your skin? 

Can you hear your heartbeat? The breaths in your lungs?

Will it wait for you, or will it sneak up on you one night when you're least expecting it? Will you share your apprehension, or do you fear their judgment? 

Do you have the will you think you have?

Will you bow to it or throttle it? Will you taste the blood on your tongue to know that it is real? Will you find shadows to help you pretend you're safe? Will you whimper softly and call for mother? God?

Don't you think I know all about it? Don't you think we saw it coming a mile away? Don't you think the end has already been written?

Do you want to hear more?