In That Final Moment
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Listen to a reading of "In That Final Moment":
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When the nukes start flying,
when we see the mushroom cloud growing on the horizon,
when reality comes crashing down in the most overt way possible,
when the realization slowly dawns that this really is the end,
none of our old stuff will matter anymore.
It will not matter if you are American, Russian or Chinese.
It will not matter if your skin is darker or lighter.
It will not matter if you feel like a man or a woman or both or neither.
It will not matter if your politics are left, right or center.
It will not matter who you voted for.
All that will matter, in that final moment,
is that it is ending.
We will behold that final moment
standing alongside progressives and conservatives,
racists and radlibs,
socialists and soldiers,
communists and cops,
and all our irreconcilable differences
will suddenly dissolve into nothing.
Against the suddenly visible backdrop of total annihilation,
the existence of any human anywhere is a miracle,
and the existence of life on this planet is a priceless gift.
We won't even care whose fault it was,
whether it was deliberate or accidental,
or whether it was the result of some malfunction, miscommunication, or misunderstanding.
All we will care about is that it is ending.
And in that final moment we will hug our loved ones tight,
whether we are Christian or atheist,
Jew or Arab,
Indian or Pakistani,
anti-vaxxer or Antifa.
And in that final moment we will say,
in our heart of hearts,
with our innermost voices,
"Oh, I see it now!
I see how easy it is to stand together!
I see how small our differences are compared to this great commonality!
I see where we went wrong,
and how very easy it would be to fix it!"
And in that final moment we will say,
"We see it now!
We see the mistakes we made,
and made and made and kept on making!
We understand our fundamental error!
Just give us one do-over and we can correct it immediately!
Could we have a do-over please?
Could we have a do-over please?"
In that final moment,
we will ask,
"Could we have a do-over please?"
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In That Final Moment
Perfect, thank you…..when we can feel in our body the truth that we are all family we will notice how small our differences are.
Caitlin, this is really good. Literally EVERYONE should be reading this poem. Imagine if instead of all the black propaganda, we actually had this poem read aloud on all the radio stations, and on all the talking head shows. Wouldn't that be a healthier, more right, more just and beautiful approach? Not only would it be all those good things, it would actually speak to people and move them in ways that even hundreds of hours of propaganda or simple information cannot. How many hours of propaganda would it take to equal the effect of one great poem? I have no idea. I don't know that there's an answer, but I think your poem demonstrates the fact that there is a real difference.
With that said, I think your model overall is really fantastic. You have punchy, sobering, and insightful articles, but you also compliment that with poetry, fiction, and art. I think this is actually a perfect model for real journalism, a more hybrid, powerful, and effective form of human communication. Research articles and information are important, but information only sinks so deep into the mind; stories and poetry seep into the deep structures of our soul and psyche. They are not the same because they speak to different parts of our being. After all, we are not simply computers absorbing information. The kind of model you have essentially represents a more holistic, sane, and creative way of communicating ideas and developing the minds and souls of your readership, and all people.
You are setting the example.
Thank you!
Best,
David
PS
Since you're fine with people sharing your works, I published this poem for all the readers over at The Chained Muse. I think everyone should get a chance to read it.