In Joseph Conrad’s brooding novella Heart of Darkness, protagonist Marlow sums up the fleeting nature of human existence in five words: “We live in the flicker,” he says. “May it last as long as the old earth keeps rolling
Flashback to last night. I’m slouching in a bar booth across from a high school friend, my paw resting on a pilsner glass. He’s oozing about debt, love and his strict ab-workout routine. He’s trying to look his fittest for an upcoming Colorado vacation with his girlfriend of eight-and-a-half months. On a late August night only three years ago, we sat in starchy lawn chairs in his garage and he shared similar lifestyle updates, though it was a different girl, a different trip, a different pilsner.
We live in the flicker. Continue reading
Someone Else's Song 