Written by J.B. Heartfeld
Artwork by Hannah Adams
I...I can't feel my legs. Broken by sturdy chunks of tree and jagged stone, I don't think my body will ever be the same. Harsh words have stripped my spirit bare, I don't know if my heart will ever heal. No one is here to save me...and I'm not surprised. There are no heroes in the wild, even though they soar through the air in my dreams.
"Survival of the fittest" is the golden rule. There is no place for the weak. There is no refuge for the frail. As I drag myself across the forest floor, unable to stand, these thoughts plague me. There is no home for the honorable, only the haughty. There is no security for the scared, only those that are already secure. If I close my eyes I know I'll be swept away by slumber and given freedom within my dreams, all I have to do is close my eyes. . .but I am restless.
I pull my battered body through the forest as the hours fall away around me like leaves from a towering oak. Soon night falls upon me as well. The darkness that envelopes me could feel oppressive, like another slap in the face from a universe that doesn't care. Instead, it feels like the gentle nudge of a finger underneath my chin, encouraging me to shift my perspective.
So I look up.
The starry night sky lights up my world. Like a man cherishing a long lost treasure, I hold on tightly to the sight of each glimmering star that my eyes can perceive.
Although they honorably take their stations in the sky each night, they are small. Easily dismissed. The light they provide is nothing compared to the light of the sun. Despite this, they're beautiful in their existence. They are like a dream come true, brilliant gifts birthed from a sea of nothingness.
But they were always here, long before I ever noticed them. More than that, they will continue to be jewelry for the cosmos even if I forget about them. Inanimate inspiration birthing this animate change: I'm exhausted from letting my dreams rest with falsehoods.
I was born into this world. My fitness will not be called into question, I will survive.
***
There are no heroes in the wild. So I gathered those like me who were lost and weary. We lifted each other off the ground, we huddled together for warmth, we built shelter, we celebrated life, we found others, we built community, and we keep building.
There were no heroes in the wild, so we tamed it.
Be Super.
