George Washington's Tale
A surreal, symbolic reimagining of the famous cherry tree myth. The tale blends childhood, destiny, violence, and rebirth in a storm of American iconography where the principal protagonist is the instigator of the downfall.
GEORGE WASHINGTON'S TALE
I stand before the last-standing blooming cherry tree
The blossom at my feet beds the awakening phoenix
Hatchet in hand I’m embarked on a killing spree
As in a trance I hack away at the trunk for a final fix
Defer defer behold the Lord High Executioner
A Vaudeville scenario like the Jumping Jupiter
Stand and deliver your integrity or your life
Stranded and slivered pay homage to the knife
The Host and his New Model Army made it crystal clear
The box you did choose the coin you did flip
Yet sin has held you firm in its grip
The womb is barren please don’t shed a blessed tear
Time has served as blood brother and nemesis
Lessons never learned and fruitless cycles espoused
Cowardice has jaundiced every time and every motion
Tails, tails, tails !
The fruit of the loom captive inside Pandora’s Box
Ripe cherries rain down as I wield the axe
The lazy dog jumps over the quick brown fox
This mortal coil transforms lifeforce into wax
Expect the unexpected salute salvation in vain
You’ve tickets for the Orient Express night train
Flee as fast as you can although the exit is barred
Would you like your stake rare medium or charred ?
Running to a standstill running amok
Running wet running dry
Running low running high
Running ragged wretched lady Luck
Rock a bye baby the trunk starts to give way
Roll up roll up the spectacle is so grand
An earth-shattering crack pierces the soul
Timber, timber, timber !
Pitch black shrouds the Blue the stars are shining bright
A tremor can be felt from a stirring far away
The dwarf planet is beginning to go astray
The plutoed Little Boy promoted general of the plight
Hurtling towards next door agglomerating all in its path
The masque of the red death beckoning the aftermath
Converging and merging first of all with its nuclear buddies
The bulging Fat Man negating all scientific studies
Gaining speed celestial bodies have no desire to resist
Saturn Jupiter and Mars join in the celebration
Self-sacrifice in unison proclaims a psychopomp oblation
The final chapter of the story does not conceal a twist
An immaculate chain reaction that Man was blind to expect
Enola alone admires the spectacle from a glorious vantage point
The tearful phoenix bids farewell and immolates Mother Earth
Hollow, hollow, hollow !