My father was a German Jew and a communist,
my mother a Spanish anti-Fascist resistance fighter.
They met on a boat fleeing the Nazis to Mexico,
seeking freedom and a chance to build a life.
Not only for themselves but for me, my brothers
my sisters, of whom there are many. We are mice,
we know a common bond built on pain and sacrifice;
life is short is our cultural norm; but my father taught me
“if life is short, then move fast.” I am belief in action.
Speedy is not a character; he is my manifesto to all oppressed
people; no one catches the quick; Speedy always beats the cats.
When I say cats, I mean the invested forces of capitalism
that profit from the unpaid labour of the people and the
destruction of their dreams of prosperity and equality.
My father taught me to run.
He told me, “Might weighs too much,
strength without laughter is weak,
those who are light on their feet
will always confound those who
would put their paws on our necks;
now, run like your life depends on it.”
So I run. I run for the revolution.
If you were me, would you do anything differently?
(Speedy first premiered in 1953, and the world has been trying to keep up since. Run, Speedy, Run! GG)