~Where is my hero?~
Nothing is worse than when there isn’t a hero to rush in and fix everything.
Me: cast as the damsel in distress
Scene: a tragic distressing event
where I need rescuing.
The Knight in Shining Armor: missing.
Refusing to show up for work,
skies full of beacons and distress symbols.
Missing in action, and nowhere to be found.
I hope I’m not being too redundant here but I don’t know how else to ask for help.
Do I take out a help wanted ad in the paper?
Do I write a strongly worded email to my elected officials?
Maybe all the heroes have heard there is a war on and they are fighting to upkeep democracy and freedom.
You know it’s so terrible.
My favorite strip club moved to a new venue and there isn’t a good view of the sausages from every seat in the house like there used to be, and I’m almost out of joints to smoke.
I wish someone could save me.
~Am I the superhero?~
It’s true:
I’m supposed to save the world.
But I don’t know if I can.
I don’t even think I believe in superheroes.
No one has ever been there for me
when I’ve needed rescuing.
And holy fuck have I needed to be rescued before.
One time a tindr date went wrong,
and I was too stoned to find the front door.
So I had to exist in misery for almost six hours.
Another time, a tornado was impending and bigger than I had ever seen, and guess who was right in the direct path?
Me and my kitten.
Then there was a time I realized I was in a cult,
after I had cut off all my family and friends,
and I had no clue who to ask for help.
Maybe it’s time I call myself,
lift the boulder off me,
and on my cape,
And fly me an escape,
to freedom: to better waters:
Utopia and paradise.
A one-way ticket maybe only I can give myself.
Try it with me.
Let’s be rescuers.
Let’s be rescued.
Timothy Arliss OBrien is an interdisciplinary artist in music composition, writing, and visual arts. His goal is to connect people to accessible new music that showcases virtuosic abilities without losing touch of authentic emotions. He has premiered music with The Astoria Music Festival, Cascadia Composers, Sound of Late’s 48 hour Composition Competition and ENAensemble’s Serial Opera Project. He also wants to produce writing that connects the reader to themselves in a way that promotes wonder and self realization. He has published several novels (Dear God I’m a Faggot, They), several cartomancy decks for divination (The Gazing Ball Tarot, The Graffiti Oracle, and The Ink Sketch Lenormand), and has written for Look Up Records (Seattle), Our Bible App, and Deep Overstock: The Bookseller’s Journal. He has also combined his passion for poetry with his love of publishing and curates the podcast The Poet Heroic and he also hosts the new music podcast Composers Breathing. He also showcases his psychedelic makeup skills as the phenomenal drag queen Tabitha Acidz.
Check out more of his writing, and his full discography at his website: www.timothyarlissobrien.com