" Wait.. Whoa! Hold Up.. Stop the world, I want to get off", the kid cried into the uncaring void around him.. "I've seen enough, this place, this time is not for Me", He lamented.
A chuckle preceded a diminutive figure from the darkness around Him as they stepped into the failing light..
"Sorry, kid" the figure said, all aged, bowed and wizened.. "That's not the way this world works any more.. Hasn't been for centuries."
"But I've seen others call it quits, or even be taken in the blink of an eye, why am *I* not allowed the same out?" the kid asked..
"YOU, son, are very different from those around You.. Destiny, Paths needing walked, lessons needing to both learn or teach.. Until all of these criteria are met, You, lad, are stuck here, in the mud, through the tears, damn the pain, just suck it up and keep placing one foot in front of the other..", the ol Man responded tiredly.. "Nobody rides for free, and nobody leaves the ride until their time is up, regardless of the way it looks to You.."
"You seem like You know quite a bit about Me," the kid said, somewhat defiantly. "What makes YOU such an expert on the ways of the World, or is it just ME in particular?"
"Both", the older figure responded.. "Many years ago", He continued, "I, too, was YOU. Thinking the world should conform to the childish notions of right and wrong I held so firmly to. Expecting a just and balanced outcome from every situation regardless of My input, feelings or attempts to change it in any way.. Grow up, Boy, the world is NOT so black and white any more. Far more people are out for what THEY can get at the expense of anyone but themselves. Colors don't matter, right or wrong don't matter, hell, FAMILY doesn't matter for most individuals any more.. Open Your eyes and look around, the evidence is plain to see each and every day all around You."
"How did the world get to this point?" the kid nearly cried.. "I remember a childhood when I was told anything was possible if You worked hard and followed Your dreams."
"Too many people pushing THEIR dreams on others, MAKING people choose between their own goals or the goals of the individuals pushing them.. WHO wants to be the asshole out for just themselves when they can make another's aspirations come true?" the old man shrugged defeatedly. "NOW I wish I had stood My ground to get MY dreams instead of the dreams of others that have pushed Me to the side so they can chase bigger and better dreams for themselves, MAKING more and more individuals bow down to 'their version' of right or get run over by the common consensus.."
"They can't DO that!" the kid cried.. "I'm a Human Being! I have unalienable rights that were given to Me multiple times over the course of My life!"
"Don't You GET it, kid? Let enough people walk all over those 'rights' You speak so highly of, and You become less and less Human, until those doing the walking no longer SEE You as Human.. From that point on, there's only one thing to say," the old man sighed wearily.
"What's that?" the kid asked honestly.
'Garbage HAS no rights, kid"
This story was written when I was the KID, lamenting a world spinning out of control, way back in 1987.. TODAY, I confess, I write it more from the Old Man's perspective, and regret how I can see each of the facets of the story unfold. This is not the EXACT story as written way back then.. I DO have it posted on a dating site under the blog I was writing at the time, but said site has changed hands and formats so many times over the intervening years that I'm no longer even sure if they even still HAVE blogs there any more..
I have NEVER been able to write a piece, be it story, poem, song or otherwise and recreate it afterwards.. Once a piece is written, it's almost like it is erased from My mind, and it has ever been thus.
But yeah, this is as close to the original as I can reach.. Hope some out there may find it enlightening or useful..
Dom
03/16/2024
Originally
08/1987
