no one shows up for the matinee

see note for reviewers.

contrary to popular belief,

no one shows up for the matinee---

yes,

it is true that when you are born,

someone was probably there

cooing over your little blood-covered & wrinkled face,

alongside your mother,

and yes,

when you are dead,

there may be someone who shows up at your

funeral or

perhaps, at least throws your ashes in a coffee can

like walter & the dude in

The Big Lebowski,

throwing you off into the wind,

off a cliff,

for good measure.

 

but though the middle part is brutal,

depressing &

short,

(and as much as you think there might be somebody coming to save you)

no one

shows up

for the matinee.

 

it might be that the popcorn is stale,

it might be that there are never any other people to watch the film with,

but in the end,

no one shows up to watch the film in the midday because they are all consumed

with their own lives---

your saving just isn’t on their

priority list.

 

you have to sit in the theater alone & watch yourself make it through.

Author's Note

“The realization that there’s no false consultation can actually cheer you up. Once you face the fact that you’re born into a losing struggle, things immediately appear a great deal more manageable in some ways.”

-Christopher Hitchens in debate with Rabbi David Wolpe at John Hancock Hall, Boston, MA, March, 2010

Reviews

[...]

. a very fascinating insight ...
. brilliantly written ...
. it's a lesson that we all need to learn ...