This verse was first written in 2018 for my son Matt, who was then living through droughts & wildfires in Topanga, amidst obviously the steep decline of the United States. In 2020 Matt moved to Sweden, where his father is from.
Trust in your guts & brains
take your leave from Topanga
for a sane place with rains
but don’t retrace to Tonga
as The Islands getting hotter
long since Garden of Eden
not long until under water
While you’re welcome in Sweden
from where easy two hour flights to Tuscana
while U.S. turns Republic of Banana
Faint prescience is all it takes
plus aptitude for a new language
So why wait to pull up the stakes
why wallow in anomie anguish?
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-anomie = a society characterized by a breakdown of social norms and values, here: The U.S.
-Tonga = a South Pacific island nation, to where Matt’s great grandparents emigrated and where his grandfather grew up
-Topanga, CA = just outside Los Angeles