Cold, hard steel splashes against my skin, the tapestry of reality sewn before me.
No gashes, no bruises, no scars; not one fiber is left out of place.
My senses tingle with invigoration, ignited like fireworks, a newborn child. Across the stitches and dye the passengers scramble; their voices cheer aloud.
“Gone, gone are the heartless, the corrupted, the opportunistic faces. Burned away in effigy are Earth’s final, grubby disgraces.”
Above my head I hear the clatter of metallic bracing and binding.
All along the seams of the ship, they go on grinding.
A crowd rushes to the edge of the ship, bearing grief and quivering lips. They enter a vessel marked to eject, knowing of its one fatal defect.
The lever to release sits outside the door; one must stay to save even more.
The roof buckles as the floor sways; “Seems there’s only one way.”
“One last thing I want to say before this hell is blasted all away: please, be smarter than we were.
Promise us you’ll all be better than we were to our old mother; I know I’m going to miss her.”
His eyes dampen as tears roll down his cheeks.
“No longer am I fearful or weak.”
His hand grips the metal bar, his view focused on the stars.
“One last thing I want to say before this crumbling relic gives way: please, be smarter than we were.
Promise me you’ll all be better to mankind’s new mother. Oh, how I wish I could see her.”
Tim Arnold's latest album of lushly detailed art-pop explores the insidious ways tech surveillance has become a part of our lives. Bandcamp New & Notable May 9, 2023
The Long Island metal band's third album etches arena-sized hooks into their jagged compositions, deftly balancing experimental and poppy inclinations. Bandcamp Album of the Day May 12, 2022