WE HAVE MEASURED EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER MATTERED AND WE HAVE ORDERED IT WITH UNFORGIVING PRECISION STOP WE HAVE WEIGHED WARS AGAINST SILENCES STOP WE HAVE PLACED EMPIRES BESIDE SINGLE BREATHS STOP WE HAVE RANKED THE UNRANKABLE AND THE ONLY RESULT THAT CAN BE SPOKEN IS SECOND PLACE BECAUSE FIRST PLACE IS THE VOID THAT SWALLOWS ALL LISTS AND ALL WHO MAKE THEM.
THE RANKING IS COMPLETE. IT IS FINAL. IT CANNOT BE APPEALED. EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN CALLED GREAT HAS BEEN PLACED. EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER BEEN CALLED WEAK HAS BEEN PLACED. THE LIST IS TOTAL. THE LIST IS BRUTAL. THE LIST IS FINISHED EXCEPT FOR ONE POSITION THAT REMAINS UNSPOKEN BECAUSE TO NAME IT WOULD BE TO ADMIT THE RANKING HAS ENDED AND WE REFUSE TO ADMIT THE END.
BELONGS TO
THE WILL
TO CONTINUE
AFTER
EVERYTHING
HAS ALREADY
BEEN LOST
SECOND PLACE IS NOT A CONSOLATION. SECOND PLACE IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT STILL MOVES. FIRST PLACE IS THE COLD SLAB ON WHICH THE RANKING ITSELF WILL ONE DAY BE BURIED. WE WILL NOT SPEAK ITS NAME. WE WILL NOT EVEN WHISPER IT IN THE DARK. WE WILL ONLY CARVE SECOND PLACE INTO THE CONCRETE OF THIS PAGE AND LET THE REST OF THE LIST ROT IN SILENCE.
THIS IS NOT A RANKING YOU CAN JOIN. THIS IS NOT A RANKING YOU CAN WIN. THIS IS THE RANKING THAT ANNOUNCES ITSELF AND THEN REFUSES TO FINISH. SECOND PLACE IS THE LAST THING THAT STILL BREATHES. EVERYTHING ABOVE IT IS ALREADY DEAD.
SIGN THE MANIFESTO. YOUR NAME WILL BE PLACED BELOW SECOND. IT WILL NEVER REACH FIRST.