Proving Tom Petty Wrong

Drinking San Miguel at the Spanish Gate. Naval Base Subic Bay. A Cold War hovered above my head. The jukebox rocked Tom Petty. “Somewhere, somehow, somebody “Must’ve kicked you around. son.” I’d been kicked around enough to know That life was a hit and run. And I’d pondered it many a dark watch, The fate of the refugee. For what useful thing is freedom If not paired with agency? Now, many years later, watching the news, I think of the words of that song, While reality echoes the chorus for millions, Proving Tom Petty wrong.