Cold Play

The following is a joke and is not meant to harm. -Dr. Rachel Turney

There are a lot of heinous things happening in the world…and the music of Coldplay is one of them (I said it). While the recent Coldplay concert incident was not without actual victims (the children and spouses involved), I believe that marriage only has the value one places on it, so for me this was a little slice of karma well served. 

This event showcased true Americana circa The Summer of 2025: big stadiums, bright lights, Americans behaving badly and thinking they can get away with it, and British people laughing at our foolishness. In the long nights of The Summer of 2025, may this bring you, the reader, a bit of mirth in these otherwise dark times. 

Cold Play 
In the moment, the panic has risen. Temporal lobe sabotaged by the music. We lost ourselves in the colors of the weather. Though illuminated above the clouds, we were still holding on together. 

Sympathetic nervous system, my midbrain. I unclung. We let go, like leaves from trees carried on the wind. Scattered to every corner of the sky. 

Now my heart has fallen from the marver. Our lives are tempered glass and I am trying to collect the pieces. My life has been turned “into a spectacle”. That’s all, all I can say. 

--
The italicized phrases are direct quotes from Coldplay’s All My Love. 

The quoted portion is from Andy Byron’s "alleged" public statement released July 17, 2025.

Rachel Turney, Ed.D. (she/her) is an educator and artist located in Denver. Her poems, research articles, drawings, and photography can be found in a variety of publications. Rachel is passionate about immigrant rights, teacher support, and empowering other artists. She is a Writers’ Hour prize winner and her photography can be found on a few magazine covers. The Poetry Lighthouse will publish her full-length collection Record Player Life soon. Her disappearing digital chapbook Europe in Black and White is available on Blood + Honey at bloodhoneylit.com during July/August 2025. Keep writing and please connect on socials!  

Website: turneytalks.com Instagram: @turneytalks Bluesky: @rachelturney