I stand there in the distance of your gaze. A marvel, mirage, and simulacra made manifest by your worldly desires. A giant tower beckoning, a church bell chiming, the siren luring you with song; Come, join me – pack your things and hop aboard. Leave the monotony of your inconsequential life behind. Decide to stop suffering in silence and change your scenery. Throw down the remote control, stow away the laptop, pocket your phone. I promise all of that entertainment and more, but with the backdrop of a paradise you’ve only ever imagined. Sun and fresh air in abundance. The fruits of your labor given physical form. You as the center of the world you’ve been promised by birth.
I look at the tiny boats around me while I take my provisions. I feast and consume with reckless abandon, taking everything I’m owed and more. Here hard currency rules and size matters. I find contentment and equilibrium in knowing I rule these parts. That everyone around me looks in awe. They wonder how I can exist. How the striving of man has been translated into the monstrosity you see. But I pay them no mind. Why think of others when there is only so much time in the day to think about myself?
When I’m full and ready I extend a bridge and welcome everyone aboard. Like clockwork my crew untethers me and I’m off to sea, on the way to the next port of call, the next place to see, the next backdrop of someone’s ideal vacation. Stay out of my wake. Here I am king.
I am the cruise ship docking in your port. A floating metropolis of earthly delights, belligerent and vapid, the hegemon come ashore.
Now I become death, the destroyer of worlds.
