It was the closing day of the tour, the best tour of my life.
The new album had been a hit. The tour had been a hit. I had been a hit.
And best of all I did it with Dylan. My perfect, wonderful, amazing manager. I loved her with every ounce of my heart. The way her eyes shined in the light, her dark sense of humor, her beautiful personality. All of it was so perfect.
And so was my plan.
At the end of every show, I sang a short “suprise” song. Of course it had been planned months in advance, but for all of my fans it was simply magical.
Dylan had help me plan out every single one, except for closing night. This was my suprise for her.
So as I stepped on stage after my final quick change, and the lights grew brighter, so did the shining love in my eyes. The microphone grew slippery in my clammy palms.
The slow bass started.
Then the drums.
Then me.
“It’s an imperfect world… With imperfect people… Who want to be perfect.
It’s an imperfect world… With imperfect people… Who want to be perfect for me, And imperfect me who wants to be perfect for…
You.”
And as the spotlight froze Dylan, whom was centered in the crowd, tears welled in my eyes. Because while I saw her nod no, I also saw the hurt in her eyes. I knew that she knew that she lost a friend that day.
Because even she knew I could never be just a coworker, or even just a friend.
So now, 10 years later, my album is still remembered.
“Imperfect” the perfect name for the album, and the song, that destroyed me. My career, my everything.
My Dylan.
“Today’s the day!” They said. “What will we see?” They said. “I’m so excited, I feel alive!” They said.
All the children gathered around the door of the room. Today was “the day”, of course!
“Today we get to travel all around the world! We get to see tigers, lions, penguins, bears, otters, seals and so much more!” Mr. V said, “You all must be so excited!”
The doors of the room opened, and the children piled in.
“Soon, all of you will be on your way to a different country. Can we form a line, please?”
“Yes, Mr. V!” the children sqeaked with excitement.
And the children saw wonderful things! They traveled through zoos, aquariums, markets, cities, museums, and oh so much more!
Lucy’s favorite thing was the mountains.
Jake’s favorite was the sea otters.
Cole’s favorite was the art mueseum.
Mine was the aquarium.
I saw sharks and stingrays and fish and jellies and seahorses and turtles.
But best of all was the giant goldfish, with its beautiful shining body and fins. It was amazing. But it was a lie.
Of course we all saw lies, “The Day” was an illusion. The illusion that everything was okay. The illusion that we were so happy and that the animals weren’t all dead and that the world would be fine. But a dying, polluted Earth isn’t okay. And if it is, than it must all just be illusions.
They say I overcompensate For every little thing But I just can’t help myself From overcompensating
When life gives me a lemon I give it back three When my friends give me love I offer them all of me
I’m taking peoples time And I give them all my energy I take their whole damn lives So that they can be friends with me
They say I overcompensate But that’s because I take And I only help myself Help me please, I’ll fix my mistakes
The sky so blue And soft summer days But all of it was lost Covered in an endless haze
She longed to reach and touch the stars But they began to fall This was the consequence Of all
The smoke left The plastic bags The poisoned water The thrown out rags
And so she let them go The plants died, life went away Even people couldn’t make it The clouds couldn’t stay
And so as the things approached, with their small mishapen bodies pounding towards me, I said to my comrade, “Please tell me this is not the end.” “I make no promises,” he replied with a voice to broken to sing, “But I think that this is not the end. Possibly the beginning, and I would love to begin with your hand in mine. So as the things trampled the bodies scattering the valley, we fought. There was nothing possible enough to let us live. And as the masters of the small things and their masters too came for us, we screamed. Not of fear or of defeat, but in honor of the bodies tgat lay around us. We shot at and mutilated and screamed with every broken ounce of our hearts at the things. But they were heartless, soulless, broken creatures that cared nothing of their own worth. For they had nothing to live for. Thir bodies vanished into nothing but ashes, and yet it was phœnix-like the way they seemed to be reborn with the sheer number of them coming for us. And when i looked over ignoring the acheing in my body I saw him fall to the ground. “Hold my hand,” he whispered, “I don’t want to go alone.” And by the time they had taken me to the ground it was too late. His hand lay lifeless. But I still took it, for this was the beginning.
Not the End.
