At the Lincoln Memorial "If I could save the Union by freeing the slaves, I would; "If I could save the Union by not freeing the slaves, I would." Up three tiers of steps-- your mammoth shoe at eye level. Gargantuan hands rest easy now, wrinkled robes in static waterfall flow from your throne, a Greek convention in American marble, Jefferson's capital. Your face looks younger -- sculptors using death masks often do that. Your great eyes, so often scored by laughter now stare, grimly serene, across the reflecting pool at that less human monument of your spiritual Father: he the machine, stolid, you the Christ embalmed in stone under cool portico here, resurrected in cold recall. Ah, Mr. Lincoln, tell us a joke to humanize your face! The one about Grant and the whiskey would do-- it doesn't do you justice to just sit there when, after black humor, justice was your strong suit!
1) Do the puns work?
2) Opinions about the effectiveness of sculptor's death's head reference sought.
I love the use of the resurrection and allusion to Christ....
I truly enjoyed this work, and invite your comments to my work.
You are so gifted.
Syyd Raven
Syyd Raven <Syydonia@aol.com>
Buffalo, NY USA - Sat Aug 21 16:25:14 1999
Readers: You may wish to contact C. E. Chaffin privately with your ideas about this poem.