First off, start bright. Enjoy nature, enjoy art, enjoy science. Enjoy life.
Then get brighter and brighter. Continue to enjoy all these things while others have forgot how (while others never learnt how). Continue while others have found work. Continue while others say that you have to work to fit in, to labour to live (they say ‘to labour’, they mean ‘to suffer’).
Everyone saw so much potential in you, why don’t you just use it? But why must you use it you ask? Because, they answer… These are not real answers. But how is to suffer to live you ask? Because, they answer… But why must I fit in you ask? Because, they answer… Are you happy you ask? These are not real questions they say after a brief pause.
Continue being an artist, a wanderer, an innocent. Then your stomach churns and the bills arrive; you need money, food, and shelter; and the barterers smile and say, “We’ll give you money, we’ll give you food, we’ll give you shelter; hell, have it all – first, give us your innocence. It’s too bright. We need to dim it down a bit. Just a bit. Yeah… just a bit.” (They smile.) The choice is simple, exist or live – you can’t have both they say.
Exist or live… you can’t have both they say.
But why can’t I have both you ask? These are not real questions they say, after a brief pause.
photo credit: Kyle May