All You Need

reflections on the 50th anniversary theatrical re-release of Yellow Submarine

Fifty years ago,
I sat gobsmacked,
bathed in this exuberant spirit,
this flood of fantasmagoria
streaming off the screen,
the music’s mysterious power
suffusing me.

My young mind
was mesmerized,
awash in this beautiful fable
of love and music
conquering all.

It was a naive dream,
a perfect salve
for the flower children
of a privileged generation,
not yet exposed
to the relentless reality
of human suffering.

Fifty years later,
I am again gobsmacked,
bowled over by the richness
of this sense memory,
revived in all its glory,
and the truth,
rekindled by its brilliance,
that it still conveys:

In a world of suffering
and violence,
all you ever really need
is love.