KINGDOM COME

(HOW TO: SAVE THE WORLD)

Twins!

I’ve missed you. I’ve missed myself. And I have spent most of my year feeling sorry about that. As time progressed, I faced a lot of obstacles and even more loss. Of course I felt sorry about what was slipping away but more than anything, I hated that I wasn’t even sure what had went by the wayside. I’ve just been feeling drained. Not mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. But somewhere else I can’t figure out.

The woman on the cover is designed after a portrait of my mother on her wedding day, when she married my father. I call her Lady Gravity. My whole life, I’ve heard that paradise lies at the foot of the mother. And gravity is what brings all things to where they’re supposed to be. Keeps us grounded. I’m hoping Lady Gravity leads me to where I need to be before I’m gone. Paradise, Heaven, Kingdom Come… right here on Earth. What would it be like?

I had a whole spiel prepared about nicomachean ethics. I’ll keep it short though. This issue is the pursuit of something new and good. It’s an aim. It’s a hard reset. It’s a lifeboat, an ark. But mostly, it’s a suggestion of what the world may be like if we took a little bit more time to realize all of this was once a dream and we could dream of something better. More equitable, more free, and just as real. The dream is real. As real as my soul. Oh heavens, it’s real.

<3.

Najee AR Fareed

eic