36 Views of SF: 36+13. Summer of Verklemption, Summer of Redemption
July 22, 2018
i’m on the 22 Fillmore
Steiner and Green.
an 8 or 10 year-old chinese boy
hands a black boy, same age,
one of his lunchbox potstickers
and I am a little verklempt.
it’s these little things,
in the age of trump
that get me.
the boys and their friends
are in day camp at the Y,
their african american teachers
tell me,
beautiful women with generous smiles,
braids and wisdom.
the black boy gets a little sauce on his pantleg.
I hand him napkins,
leftover from my lunch.
he thanks me.
we are all one
traveling together
sharing
helping as we can
on this Great Vehicle,
the 22 Feel-more.
i am thinking of john glenn,
one of the mercury 7,
first american messengers
to the heavens.
he named his vehicle
Friendship.
the others –
Freedom, Liberty Bell,
Aurora, Sigma,
Faith.
today, our leading rocketeer
is so masculine his name is musk.
he names his rockets
Falcon and Dragon.
he must bethink himself
a medieval knight.
he wants to go to mars,
red planet,
god of war.
settle down there.
he also wonders if we’re
in a simulation
and warns that robots will rule us.
he also sells flamethrowers on twitter.
it’s all so…
interesting…
if we’re in a simulation
it’s asking me what kind of man I am
if we’re endangered
by artificial intelligence
we’re more endangered
by our own lack of thought.
my manhood
my boyhood
my humanity
my thoughts
are just these:
the 22 Fillmore
feeling more
thinking more
learning more
on this Great Journey
. Home
to my
. Heart.
Blog pairing: Can Mindfulness and Compassion Save the World?
© 2018, Ravi Chandra. All rights reserved.
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