The nightly news is on, and I feel nothing when the poison starts seeping through my pores. Business as usual, I tell myself, as the parrot on the screen keeps squawking. But no, this time is different. A bunch of rebel neurons snap. “Wake the hell up!” they buzz, irreverently. Silly me. I take a gulp of water hoping to drown them. To no avail. They riot.
Why are they shouting? They know the world is burning to a crisp. Or is it drowning? Nah... the parrot claims it’s being ravaged by tornados or whatever. Did something change? They’ve always known about the tribal chiefs, the owners of the village. The same old men who keep dropping the bombs out there.
What’s new? I wonder…
Instinctively, I grab a bag of chips and promptly stuff my face. Insurgent thoughts and feelings should be quashed. My teeth conspire with my tongue, crushing the sounds of unsaid words and quickly dispatching them into the pit deep inside my gut.
This is nothing, I proclaim, watching the devastation on the screen. Civilization is a work in progress. My stomach growls. I feel dissention in my innards. Damn it! What happened to my comfort zone? I thought I had grown roots into its entrails.
The freaking neurons are still at it. Subversives! I protest. Relentless, they keep fussing: shouldn’t clean water, plants and trees be the most valuable commodities? Yet, the masters of the world view diamonds, gold and silver as more precious.
We are the masters of the world, I say, feigning conviction. We can change everything! The rebels clamor: You don’t see things as they are. You see them as you are!
I turn the parrot off. Why suffer the slightest of discomforts?
Silence ensues. I breathe a sigh of relief. The insurrection must be over.
Then, I hear voices rising from within: Delude yourself at your own risk. Complacency shall be your downfall!
DCW
Love this!! Very well written!! 👍