In the Belly of the Beast

If you get caught in a rip tide don’t fight it. Of course it’s one thing to be one of those warning placards affixed to the wall of a beach cabana and another to face the panic accompanying the reality. Humans are outcome-oriented. That’s why there are focus groups in which responses are tested. The pilots of the Delta jet that flipped over on its landing into Toronto were not just lucky. Many unfortunate souls panic and take others with them as in the case of the Donner party. It’s dark in one of those waves that momentarily swallow you up. Recently a South American kayaker got swallowed by a whale. He was not quite in the Belly of the Beast to cite the title of the book written by Jack Abbott, a pardoned killer who murdered a waiter soon after his release. One definition of time is ignorance. Some people succumb to the wreckage of their futures. There are two choices. Quit or let go. If you fight the current you’re likely to drown.

read "Pet Buddha" by Francis Levy, Vol. 1 Brooklyn

listen to James Brown and Luciano Pavarotti singing "It's a Man's World"

and listen to "I Love to Love (But My Baby Just Wants to Dance)" by Tina Charles (1975)

and listen to "Band of Gold" by Freda Payne with Belinda Carlisle

and listen to "Twenty-Five Miles From Home" by Edwin Starr