Flying by!

     With October finally upon us, I look around and wonder where 2019 went. I mean, I'm sure I'll say the same thing come December 31st, at 11:59 pm, but still. The sunny days are cooler, the leaves are falling, and it feels like I was just lamenting my A/C bills.
     Be that as it may, I am still thankful that I had the gumption to sit down and pile out some words to channel this feeling. The feeling of time rocketing past you, whether you are aware of it or not. I also mixed in a little bit of a warning, both to myself and whoever wants to pick it out of this particular poem.
     Either way, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope that the newly arrived fall treats you well.
     Thanks again for reading.

-Stefan Adcock, 2019

Post-Labor Day: Musings on a Sci-Fi Dystopia

     I hope everyone had a good Labor Day, in whatever fashion that can be. 

     This piece came about in a vaguely slacker-esque fashion. A while back, I was wandering around West Oakland with some friend, when we stumbled upon a video store selling a lot of DVDs. I was intrigued, because the place reminded me of Blockbuster and Hollywood Video, but smaller. Because, well, the Bay Area, I think. 

     Anyway, At any given time I have an ongoing list of stuff I want to watch, stuff I need to watch, and some that are both. Well, Blade Runner 2049 was one that fit into both categories, especially since I loved the first one. I never saw 2049 in theaters, but when I stumbled upon a copy of it for $4.99 at said video store, you bet I bought it. 

     The movie was dynamite, with its sweeping cinematography, synthwave-y soundtrack, and intricately woven story-line, I really enjoyed it. It got the ol' gears a-churning, and this was the end result. I hope you guys like it, and have a good day.

Rat Race

Night settles on basalt monoliths.

Arranged in varying heights,

They clear the horizon,

Shrouded in banks of mist.

Lights wink on, across their facades

Illuminating the asphalt below.

They cover entire buildings,

Vomiting color onto indifferent concrete.

Joining these lights and sounds,

Eyes emerge, focusing.

They hover behind their lidless gaze,

Blending into the twinkling towers.

Stepping out onto the pavement,

I ease into a colliding current.

Unfeeling carriages to my right,

Indifferent faces to my left.

A light rain resumes, unabated

Tossing sparks across moving hordes.

Dirty droplets stick on my face,

As I momentarily lose focus.

More Eyes zoom past overhead,

Streaking towards their goal.

Snapping, flashing,

They doom their prey to infamy.

My legs trudge on,

Automated out of fear,

Hastened by determination,

My goal manifested in my feet.

The monoliths loom over me,

As their cascading banners play.

The screaming masses file past,

And I long for home.

One fluorescent box to another,

All this sensory bombardment,

It's just daily life.

Yet I shall prevail.

Shining like a gem,

Nestled in a glass tower,

Home dangles on the 40^th floor,

Hovering above The Eyes and Lights.

A temporary silence emerges,

As my steel elevator ushers me away.

It opens with a tired sigh,

Unveiling my sterile hallway.

Marching over cracked tiles,

I pass murmuring doors,

Until I reach mine, at last.

Shiny, brushed steel awaits me.

I wrench it open,

Diving headlong into my sanctuary.

The door shuts with a clunk,

And the World dissolves away.

In my room, laden with peace,

I let it permeate my bones.

The Eyes' gaze is relentless,

Shining through my kitchen window.

-Stefan Adcock, Sept. 2019

     Thanks, again, for reading.