Faded Houses Green

Sad eyes looked down from the balustrade and contemplated the abyss that yawned at the feet of the fleeing lover, ensconced in a cloak of fine finery, delayed by the translated bishop, the gray claw, and the hoofbeats of the silken zebras rounding the three-quarter post for home.

The mink coat would have given them a run for their money although she would have to buck the rule against adding a favorite to a parlay. Parley voose fronds, eh? Whose fronds ere I go to Panama by way of the Suez Canal and the Hinterstoisser Traverse. A travesty of spoons seducing the mink zebra with a two-dollar ticket to show the world what you’re made of if you have the stripes to pull it off and on the mannequin in the window of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of the sugar cane ferries across the river Charon.

And don’t call me Charon, because the river is Styx and you can sail away to whichever side suits you.

Originally published November 29, 2023