"Speak softly and carry a big stick",
as the old man Roosevelt used to say.
By the big stick meaning, presumably, a long rifle,
kept in a rack, by the door of a log cabin,
in his wild, wild West.
Things have changed in the West since then.
One still needs to carry hard arguments.
But speaking softly is a sure sign of weakness,
more inexcusable than forgetting to load your stick.
"Speaks louder than words",
once itself a figure of speech,
transformed into a super-metaphor
by neon lights, badges and sirens,
unspoken laws and assumed crimes.
The big old stick is still puffing
brown smoke in the backyard,
and words themselves fall down like ducats
from a merchant's purse.
"Exact change only"
twinkles silently in the dark.
Exact Change
© Copyright: Роберт Мок, 2011
Свидетельство о публикации №111081005736
Свидетельство о публикации №111081005736
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