De Martinville displayed rare skill. Phonautograph he made
He captured images of sound, observed yet never played.
There’s a legend, maybe myth, he recorded Lincoln’s voice
An artifact of the great man who freed the slaves by choice.
There came a day, some scholars say, the cylinder was lost
Holy Grail that seekers fail to secure at any cost.
A fabled item of vast worth. Rare beyond all measure
To own a piece of history some part with a great treasure.
Silver is a con man. Classic cinema he forges
Trained Lena to be deadly. On human flesh she gorges.
So slick his style, spread a fresh pile, laying it on so thick
Quick with a smile and all the while his act is a good trick.
Of and by and for the People. We recall Lincoln’s speech
We do not need a cylinder, his ideas within reach.
At his tomb in Springfield, at his Memorial in DC
With malice toward none, charity for all, he set the people free.
Dedicated to the proposition all men created equal
We struggle on toward that ideal to write a fitting sequel.
July 27, 2017
September 11, 2017
October 25, 2017
De Martinville displayed rare skill. Phonautograph he made
He captured images of sound, observed yet never played.
There’s a legend, maybe myth, he recorded Lincoln’s voice
An artifact of the great man who freed the slaves by choice.
There came a day, some scholars say, the cylinder was lost
Holy Grail that seekers fail to secure at any cost.
A fabled item of vast worth. Rare beyond all measure
To own a piece of history some part with a great treasure.
Silver is a con man. Classic cinema he forges
Trained Lena to be deadly. On human flesh she gorges.
So slick his style, spread a fresh pile, laying it on so thick
Quick with a smile and all the while his act is a good trick.
Of and by and for the People. We recall Lincoln’s speech
We do not need a cylinder, his ideas within reach.
At his tomb in Springfield, at his Memorial in DC
With malice toward none, charity for all, he set the people free.
Dedicated to the proposition all men created equal
We struggle on toward that ideal to write a fitting sequel.