zeldawave

all those
hours spent
running round
and round
some village
made of pixels
looking a lot
like peter pan.

remember
how you could
never get
past level one?
stuck smashing
vases in service of
that youthful
belief that one day
things would change.

every time
you went up
against the boss
not even
knowing how
to use weapons
you stared
failure in the eye
and learnt
unmerited tenacity.

wasn't it simple
back when
you were
bad at games
unencumbered
by expectation
and free to
make silly
mistakes?

imagine just
walking
endlessly
round one
tiny village
breaking pottery
in the hope
of a narrative
someday.

remember
how you could
never get
past level one?
stuck repeating
the same
mistakes
not even
knowing
you could
look up
the answers.

imagine that
innocence
thinking
everyone
knows how to
do everything
complete
every level
without help
just innately
understands
hyrule.

remember
how you could
never get
past level one?
you'll not
go back now
it's too late
and there's
other level ones
to defeat.

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