THE
RATIONALIZATIONS
OF DAVID THE DAD
Nodding at hallucinationsAn old doddering fool
Chapter 23
It is almost a scene from a gJohn Ford western,
2hAnd the cavalry is pinned down in Monument Valley,
3iAnd the colors are being shot full of holes,
4And a woman with red hair is in the thick of the fighting,
5jArmed and bloodied and beautiful,
6Chanting “Rally to me” in a high clear voice,
7But the troops are too frightened to listen,
8Because the enemy isn’t Indians this time,
9kBut Angels on black horses,
10Angels without mercy.
11lAnd then I hear a long wailing cry,
12mAnd a plume of dust is making tracks in the distance,
13nAnd from the dust itself rise new Angels, red-winged warriors who fly into battle with a furious savagery that is beyond belief,
14oUntil the dark attacking Angels are vanquished and destroyed,
15And the colors are hoisted on a brand-new spar,
16And I can hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic playing like mad,
17And I see the translucent face of aLincoln smiling gravely on the scene,
18bAnd the Liberty Bell is ringing once again in Independence Square,
19And all is well from sea to shining sea,
20In the land of the free,
21cAnd the home of the brave.
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Chapter 23 / 29