Let me tell you the story of Scheherazade
and how she spoke for a thousand nights,
in different bodies. In different time
Wake up.
Tell the child his home will not be his
home, for long. Tell him that his father
is dead. That the drone lives on.
And only when it is safe, and the sun has gone down
can he come outside. The cows in the distance.
The sky is orange, still. Still, or always.
And only at night, can you hunt for yourself
like water, like prayer.
Give it a body, again. Give it a finishing
or an ending deserving of an ending.
Give it rest. They will be gods, in time.
And on the thousandth night, she spoke to the king.
And on the thousandth night, she read her final story.
And on the thousandth night, she saw you, there,
surrounded by light. This is our story.
And on the thousandth night, she came to her senses
and leaned into your ear and said Wake up.
Your father is on the other side of the wall
and he is waiting. This is where the story
ends. This is what Scheherazade told the king
and he spared her life. This is what she
told the king, or the boy, or you
, reader. Don’t cry now.
Breathe.