Maybe the Devil is Slain; Could Be, the Beast is Reborn

A perfectly timed epiphany sees Jack Stoker rise from the depths of despair to take on an increasingly technocratic regime hellbent on depopulating the planet.

*excerpt from ‘Flower Cracks Concrete’

Economists call it the Modern Portfolio Theory. A concept emphasising chance as a component of higher reward, encouraging investors to diversify. Risk management. Variance and correlation. A function assessing the divergence of a single asset, pairing it in a mutual bond with another, offering the maximum possible return for a given level of risk. A statistical hedge.

The question is, rope or hose?

Many must wait until death’s door to be smacked by epiphany, to speak into the storm and be certified by existence. To let life live. Wall Street calls it the Romantic Frontier. An investment portfolio occupying the soulful parts of the risk/return spectrum, portraying risk as the wild beast of human hope. A solo venture. For any sweeping return, a notch of enlightenment is born. Fear subversion. Calm we become, and indeed, we become the calm.

The question is, noose or carbon monoxide?

Problem is, if people don’t belong, they die; the mutual bond is nothing but an alliance hatched by fear. A priest manipulates scripture in fear of losing his flock. The nerd girl upgrades her wardrobe to befriend the bitch clique. The dweeb injects steroids for that one elusive whiff of pussy. We expend so much energy trying to belong that we neglect to join the most exclusive clique of all, ourselves.

*due for release in 2025