COLLATERAL VICTIMS
of the
HUMMINGBIRD WARS

A Super-Short Story by Valerie Maxine Schneider

 

Humanity devastated by elements at war: hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis. Hummingbirds battling for coveted sweets leave excreta for bugs down below.

Ten, seven, twenty-eleven—at dawn comes the realization those ten years marauding ancient civilizations wasted ten-thousand lives. Who are the vanquished with naught left but dust? What did the victors gain? For whom did they make us cripples? The news does not inform. It excludes the masses while babbling rationalizations that resemble the excreta left by the one percent. Can I draw sustenance or thrive on their processed pap? With drained soul, and hollow eyed, I march into America’s autumn.

THE REVOLUTION
WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

A 21st century tribute to Gil Scott-Heron, poet and provocateur

By Valerie Maxine Schneider & Paul Dean Coker  

You will not tweet, Facebook, or email the revolution
You will not program it, beta-test it, or de-bug it
You will not build a firewall, avoid the blue screen or re-set the system
The revolution will NOT be televised.

The revolution will not occur without interruptions
It will not shatter the glass ceiling
It will not be brought to you by Wal-Mart, Target or COSTCO
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be litigated by lawyers
It will not be ruled by despots, dictators or disciplinarians
It will not be administered by this president or the next president
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no pictures of Sarah Palin posing with dead animals
No press conferences with Herman Caine claiming he doesn’t know Ginger White
CNN, Fox and MSNBC will not predict the election before the polls close
The revolution will not be televised.

There will be no film at eleven
No pictures of the Kardashians being courted, married, or divorced
No update on Justin Beiber’s paternity suit
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be presented at the Nokia Theatre
It will not star Natalie Portman and Justin Timberlake
It will not be broadcast, simulcast or streamed on the cloud
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not increase sex appeal or make you look ten pounds thinner
It will not give you white teeth, blonde hair or rock hard abs
It will not be sponsored by Hollister, Abercrombie or Victoria’s Secret.
The revolution will not be televised.

The theme song will not be written by Paul McCartney, Bono or Beyoncé
It will not be sung by Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift or Garth Brooks
There will be no $500 tickets to concerts by Sting, Donnie & Marie, or Shania Twain
The revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be right back after a message from BMW, Nike, or AXE
It will not make you run faster, jump higher or turn sharper
You will not be confronted by talking lizards in your car
The revolution will not be televised.

You will not be able to stay home, watching NETFLIX or HULU
No one will care if Pete did Peggy on Mad Men
American Idol, Glee, and Modern Family will no longer be so damn relevant
Because—you will be creating a brighter day.

Revolution will BE revolution regardless of what YOU call it
Revolution will get messy
Revolution will erupt internally and go global
The revolution will be live.

Revolution will put you in the driver's seat
It will drive the betterment of all that must be better
Revolution will write your life stories in letters that stand a mile high
The revolution will be live.

Revolution will focus your field of vision
It will have latitude for your attitude
It will re-boot self-initiative, self-direction, and self-determination
The revolution will be live.

Revolution will eradicate fear
Revolution will free you to express yourself
Revolution will spark e-books, new media, and imaginings of the right brain.
The revolution will be live.

Revolution will not follow the safe path of blind faith
Revolution will be not atheist, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian and Muslim
The revolution will transcend tongue, culture and color
The revolution will be live.

You will discover mentors on the fringe, sages in your midst, and seers all around
It will compel you to find the ones who are noble and wise
Who will be your Jonas Salk, Nelson Mandela, Joan Crock and Steve Jobs?
The revolution will be live.

Revolution will pulsate through complacency
No longer will chains bind you to arbitrary social values
Revolution will power shift from what was, to what is
Revolution will weave the threads of progressive transformation into our lives

Live the revolution!