Under the Lights - Vol. 1 Ed. 45
May 29, 2021 3:16 am
World Builders' Guild Newsletter
My nostrils are smothered with the scent of mildew and medical tape.
Cleats clack on aged cement. Blue enameled steel shudders into place securing the civilian clothes, belongings, trappings of those on the outside. We'll see them again tonight. How we wear them depends on the battle.
Winners floss victory garb, losers drape themselves in regret.
War in 1 hour.
Between the chainlinks men, young men—warriors—take anxious breaths, imagining their enemy. They smear warpaint across their cheekbones. Black, to push the light back into the heavens.
Love can wait until the buzzer.
War in 45 minutes.
Did I study enough? Did I lift enough? Do I care enough? Will I contribute? Will I fail?
I can't fail. They're all watching tonight.
War in 30 minutes.
The men gather now, dressed for battle. Padded and tight, their bodies swell with pride. With this helmet on, you could run me over with a truck and I wouldn't feel it. I'd get back up and find another truck.
They form a circle. The crowd parts like a stiff zipper. The chief assumes his position in the center. Hundreds of eyes drink his inspiration.
War in 15 minutes.
A brisk fall gale buffets the troops. They march in a broken trot. Destiny is a matter of execution and adaptation. Our futures depend on it.
The tribes meet eye to eye. Center stage. Mid field.
Everybody only cares about this moment.
We won't die tonight.
War is here.
To future worlds,
Matt Ventre
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