TO YOUNG BRITT’N’ THEM OTHER YOUNG GUYS DAZZLED BY WHAT THEY WOULDN’T DO WITHOUT

BY BRITT MCAULIFFE

To young Britt’n’them other young guys dazzled by what they thought they could not do without,

I’m writing in earnest from the far side of what still remains the dazzlings of a young warrior’s ILLUSIONS. I’m sending to you —yours and ours— my strongest songs, prayers, and deep red love. Please note homes, I wrote illusions in all caps for the gravest of reasons; ‘cuz that’s what it is. I truly know how hard it is to believe Bro, but you already have all you need all around you, focus up now, and invest all that you are as a young human being into it and it’s all you’ll ever need and those that come from you will need.

You don’t need to come my way! I’ve got it handled. Come this far, I’m goin’ all the way; make it my life’s work to give some truth to what turned to dust, half-truths, and shadows of what maybe once was.

Once I showed up for my reward, I called on my brothers readings this, to stand strong with me. Do your piece to give it truth. We came this far. Time to sturdy up and give this paint some pride. The next wave of them young guys are coming, we’ve done let our better selves down. Be a shame (a waste) to be the dust, half truths and shadows of our age. Focus up. There will be the day yet we can look back, chin up, smile in our heart that we did our part.

You boys shaking your head. Knock it off.

The beauty of us being Indigenous, modern-day warriors on this side of the fence is we don’t gotta turn back to be “RIGHT.” We run forward to the true foundation of our illusion, power that is as old as time itself and not yet lost. So, I say again to myself and the rest of you boys: Focus up, make of yourself a teacher. The young ones are coming, what we know is their’s not ours. Focus on high standards, and we will be rewarded with pride for our many sacrifices. Run forward while always reaching back keeping all we need to be oh so strong and justified today and all the tomorrows to come for us. We can’t ever stop all the young ones from choosing as we chose. But we will do our part to be of value to them as true, modern-day warriors so that the destination of those choices ain’t a waste.

I plead with you brothers and sisters don’t disappoint all those old ones and relatives that once stood at our sides watching from their places in the sky. I vow to do all I can. Aho.

Remember our beauty… we don’t have to change, only be the truth of what we chased all along. | BM