Wednesday, August 22, 2007

"Let's All Be That Rough Beast Slouching Towards Bethlehem"



Oh look everyone, it is William Butler Yeats. Right now he is staring into the future at Dr. Karl, my high school principle. To my knowledge Dr. Karl is the only living literate person who has ever interpreted William Butler Yeats' famous poem "The Second Coming" with its well known 'widening gyre' and 'rough beast slouching towards Bethlehem' to symbolize how a rebirth of goodness is just around the corner. Talk about lining your clouds with silver! Talk about embarrassing yourself in front of the entire school because you choose to deliver your wild-eyed view of Yeats' poem as the focal point of your assembly right before Christmas break! Is that the entire AP English class snickering down their staid, buttoned-up shirt fronts? Why yes, it is. And look, there I am! On the end of the last row of folding chairs before the bleachers. Can you see me, William Butler Yeats? I am thinking to myself that the only thing better that could ever happen to me would be if Dr. Karl turned POOF! into a unicorn and stampeded about the gym looking for the lap of a virgin to lay her magnificent white head in. Unfortunately, Dr. Karl is the principal of an all girls' Catholic high school so virgins are very, very scarce. "Let's all be that rough beast slouching towards Bethlehem!" the unicorn brays. The unicorn prances about, tossing its mane. Oh William Butler Yeats, how I try to carry out your brazen wish as interpreted by Dr. Karl. I am so good it hurts.

3 comments:

Sky Jack Morgan said...

I am that rough beast slouching toward Bethlehem.

Jenny Drai said...

We all are, Jack. We all are.

savage pig barn said...

Whose Chorus...?

Gyre TM!