So after a restful summer
\nFull of longing and reminisces
\nEarl got lonely in his cabin
\nAnd began to miss the Missus<\/p>\n
So he flew Eagle back
\nBack to New York, NY public library (you know
\nthe biggest).<\/p>\n
He decided to get a job, to waste away the time
\n(Believe me. Money was the last thing on his
\nMind) so he got a job as a ferryman
\nWorking in New York Harbor
\n(This was a pretty easy job; he\u2019d had
\nmuch harder).<\/p>\n
He would take kids and people
\nto the Statue of Liberty. Then haul them back
\nfor hardly a penny.<\/p>\n
He mainly encountered
\nSchool field trips or birthday parties; there was one group
\nhe thought quite hardy, and took a liking to.<\/p>\n
They were predominantly young black boys
\nWith a mother hen present; Earl liked them
\nfor to him they were pleasant. One day a young black boy
\nWith round John Lennon glasses
\nAsked Earl to tell a story (you know how slow time passes).<\/p>\n
Earl said, rather robustly, getting sprayed from a swell:
\n\u201cI don\u2019t have one now, but next year I will.\u201d<\/p>\n
The boys nodded in consent, And Earl asked a question
\nRight before they went: \u201cWhat is something
\nThat ya\u2019ll have never seen?\u201d And they answered as one,\u201d A farm in
\nthe green!\u201d<\/p>\n
So a year passed, and it was a hot, cruel summer; the boys returned
\nA little less younger.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s our story?\u201d the young one with glasses asked. Earl said it\u2019s coming, a whole
\nyear at last. \u201cThis is Barnyard Tale No. 1, the Goat\u2019s Tale,\u201d he said. And then he recited it out
\nloud, as if it were read: \u201cUnder a full moon, at the end of May (You could start to smell
\nthe Farmer\u2019s fresh cut hay) all the Barnyard Animals gathered. And the goat went on, or shall I say, rather blathered: \u2018Once there was a wolf. He was the lead wolf of the pack. He helped lead
\nthe wolves, to curb and cull
\nthe weak and diseased of the caribou herd. It sounds rather cruel
\nBut they are somewhat honest
\nshepherds. Now the lead wolf
\nbegan to get extra gray. \u2018He is losing his touch,\u2019
\nSome of the wolves began to say.<\/p>\n
Finally, one day, the old wolf was challenged
\nto a match
\nThe one fighting him
\nwas healthy and fat. \u201cYou know
\nall my secrets,\u201d the old wolf said. \u201cIf not for me you would
\nbe dead.\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t care,\u201d the other wolf said. An pretty soon the old wolf
\nbegan to leak his red.\u201d *gasp!* the farm animals cried. \u201cIs it in such a cruel way
\nthat the old wolf had to die?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d the big mama goat blathered. \u201cHis effort in teaching and leading the others
\nseemed not to matter. The old wolf taught them how to fight, how to kill when it mattered.
\nAnd they used all those skills he taught them
\nto make him bloody and splattered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right now the ferry
\nwas reaching its destination. The boys were somewhat shocked
\nbut with a forgiving inclination.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see you next year!\u201d they all yelled at McSwagger. And he couldn’t help but redden
\nA little at their laughter.<\/p>\n
And so a year passed, and another brutally hot summer. And once again
\nthe boys returned, not getting any younger.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlright!\u201d Earl yelled, as they left the dock. \u201cI don’t want to hear any of ya\u2019ll\u2019s
\nChitchat and talk.\u201d Silence ensued, nothing to hear
\nbut the lapping of the waves. And so Earl began
\nthe second of his staves. \u201cThis is Barnyard Tale, No.2: The Duck\u2019s Tale.\u201d He cleared his throat.
\n\u201cUnder a full moon, at the end of June, the Barnyard animals all gathered. And so the Duck began his tale, like nothing else mattered: The Story of the Star: \u201cNow, it is, I believe
\nA common misconception that lonely people die deceived. But when a truly lonely person dies, their heart all full of scars, they ascend to the heavens, and become a star. Now a star is many things, primarily being a mother
\nto the all the planets birthed out of her womb, some never even discovered. And gods these planets will become, slowly forming from the star\u2019s formula young. And the star will watch
\nit\u2019s incredibly angry son. The big bully Jupiter
\nBarely contained by taciturn Saturn. But one day, all the planets will die
\nbeing slowly drawn in, by the Sun\u2019s gravity high. And everything the star worked and watched and created
\nWill slowly be dissipated
\nUntil the whole family dies
\nSeen perhaps for the first time thousands of light years away
\nby hungry astronomers\u2019 eyes. Yes. Like you and I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThus concludes the Duck\u2019s Tale,\u201d Earl McSwagger said. \u201cSo tell your moms you love them
\nbefore you go to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n
And so another year passed, and a brutally cold summer. The boys finally came back
\nwearing thick jumpers. The wind and water were cold that day, and all the boys were trying to avoid, the salty stinging spray. Some were in gangs now, some carried books. But Earl was not
\ndissuaded, by their more melancholy looks. \u201cNow Shut Up!\u201d he said, looking them all fully in the eye.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t even want to hear a pipsqueak
\nout
\nof
\nyou guys. Here is the Barnyard Tale No.3, the concluding act. I know I told you there\u2019d be more
\nBut this is all I can come up with.\u201d The boys were silent, huddled in their coats. Occasionally you could hear
\nthe slap of wave on the boat. Some of the kids
\nwere not even in school now, had gone on
\nAnd found jobs, or graduated. The little one with John Lennon glasses sat still, with total anticipation.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the full moon, at the end of July, the Barnyard Animals gathered, the land
\nhot and dry. This is The Bull\u2019s Tale. No. 3 concluding. It will be short and to the point; I am
\nalluding: Once there was a bull, who was brought up Strong and fine. The Spanish brought him
\nto America, the land divine. The bull was proud, and didn’t believe in god. I mean, why should I? he thought. It\u2019d be rather odd.\u201d<\/p>\n
But one day the bull was turned loose
\nIn a ring of a thousand fans
\nAnd he charged this well dressed
\nin gold a man he thought a fool. But the fool he became
\nThe bull that is. And soon his back was full
\nof long little shives. These are picadors,\u201d the bull says. \u201cThey drive them in your back and below the neck.\u201d
\nThe Barn animals were shocked, even the the grave Mr. Duck let out a quack.
\n\u201cWhat the hell\u2019s that story suppose to mean?\u201d all the Barnyard Animals angrily asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat life\u2019s not fair,\u201d kid in the glasses said. You could hear a pin drop, on the boat,
\nor the thoughts of the dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell was that, Earl?\u201d one of the older kids angrily asked. He had a job at the market;
\ntoo much time had passed. As they all eased off the boat, maybe a few thoroughly disappointed
\nthe kid in the glasses came up to Earl, his eyes upward pointed. \u201cTell me, Earl,\u201d the boy said. pulling out his marbles. \u201cWhat is the point of this dipshit garble?\u201d<\/p>\n
Earl looked down, as he tied back to the dock. It was time he was getting home now, past six o\u2019clock. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you what, man. I\u2019ll give you the secret to the riddle. It means be the lone wolf, kiddo. The lone wolf is mortally wounded. It just crawls off to
\nsome cave on the side of a mountain, left to die. But the wolf is not eaten. You see kid, the point
\nof this dialogue is that the Farmer eats the animals, the Earth eats the farmer, the
\nSun eats the Earth, the center of the Universe eats the sun. Don’t you get it, kid? We\u2019re all fucking ate up. But not the wolf.\u201d Earl wiped stinging spray out of his eye. \u201cThe wolf goes on and dies alone in a cave. Nobody eats him. Nobody buries him. He just dies alone, with honor. He doesn’t give a fuck. And that\u2019s how you have to be, kid. That\u2019s how you have to be.\u201d
\nEarl skipped dinner and home
\nAnd having spent all this time
\nbasically feeling alone
\nHe hops back on the Eagle\u2019s back
\nAnd flies back to his home
\nPast the Adirondacks
\nAnd hits the sack. And
\nSleeps. Like a baby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chris Skiles So after a restful summer Full of longing and reminisces Earl got lonely in his cabin And began to miss the Missus So he flew Eagle back Back to New York, NY public library (you know the biggest). He decided to get a job, to waste away the time (Believe me. Money was… <\/p>\n