"That Which Does Not Kill Us"
The rollercoaster will not kill you
Is it scary? Yes
Is it terrifying? Probably
Is it life-changing in its intensifying terror?
It's possible
But it will not kill you
I promise you
I promise you, little nephew
That ride will not kill you
And just so you know
I am not saying that
To keep your childhood naivete intact
Because that does you no favors
There are things in life
That will kill you
And then there are those things
That will not
That which does not kill us
Does in fact make us stronger
And what doesn't kill us
OR
Make us stronger
Gives us good material
For when we become artists
Cancer will kill you
Lupus will kill you
Rabies will kill you
A mean gazelle with you in its sights
That can kill you
But that rollercoaster?
That won't kill you
Has it killed other people?
Maybe
It might have
I won't lie
They do have teenagers run these rides
And they're not all MENSA candidates
So I'm sure at some point
Somebody has or will
Die on that rollercoaster
But not you
You are not meant for death
On a rollercoaster, my nephew
Shakespeare said that certain men
Were meant for certain deaths
Your uncle
For instance
Is meant for a certain death
It is not what many would consider
A heroic death
But it is a death that can be anticipated
And therefore
Life can now be lived
Heroically
Life can include rollercoasters now
And mountain-climbing
And eating both a big lunch
And a big dinner
And not hopping on the treadmill
Right afterwards
It's a simple death
But it's one your uncle
Can live with
And be all right with
But my little nephew
You are bound for more
You're destined for death
Via plane crash in the Andes
Or leading a rebellion
In a South American country
Or a firing squad
Or being impaled by a bull
In Barcelona
That's what you're destined for
Not some measly roller-coaster
In some second-rate amusement park
On a Sunday afternoon in New England
With your antiquated uncle
Who wants one more thrill
On a ride he knows
Won't kill him
Because his death
Already has a name
So shall we go?
Shall we face a fear
Knowing that there's only thing to fear
And that everything else
Is just life
Waiting to course through our veins
Set our pulse racing
And perhaps
Make us surge past our fates
And give us another day
To surge again
Let's take on that roller-coaster
Then the haunted house
Then the giant pirate ship
That's made four people throw up today
And finish our day
With pretzels dipped in salsa
Dipped in cholesterol
Then fried in fat
And if they tell you
You're too short to ride
Stand on my feet
And you'll be on your way
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