15 And the colors are hoisted on a brand-new spar,
16 And I can hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic playing like mad,
17 And I see the translucent face of aLincoln smiling gravely on the scene,
18 bAnd the Liberty Bell is ringing once again in Independence Square,
19 And all is well from sea to shining sea,
20 In the land of the free,
21 cAnd the home of the brave.
CHAPTER 241 And so, you see, I am nothing but an old doddering fool,
2 And I see things,
3 And I think constantly of my childhood,
4 Because I have failed at all the things that mattered since childhood,
5 Including the raising of my sons,
6 Who never come to visit,
7 Because there is nothing left to say.
8 dAnd if they didn't give me sedatives, I would probably rant and rave to everyone,
9 And talk about how it used to be,
10 When everything was great and perfect and wonderful,
11 Even though it never was,
12 Because what do I know,
13 And what have I ever done with my life,
14 Except kill eJaps in the South Pacific,
15 And struggle to make a decent living,
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16 And bungle my duties as a father,
17 And lose, too soon, the one I loved the most?
CHAPTER 251 My wife.
2 When I first wake up each day, I think of her,
3 The warmth and comfort that is not beside me in my bed,
4 Because she died,
5 Long ago,
6 And I never even told her how much I loved her.
7 But I tell her now,
8 Every day when I wake up,
9 Because I want her to know,
10 And maybe I hope that the pills will bring her too one day, if I can say it often enough,
11 So that I could tell her all the things I would do different if only I could,
12 Starting with her,
13 Because I never told her about the line of her cheek against the pillow,
14 And the soft brush of her eyelashes against her cheek,
15 So that it seems a sin to wake her,
16 Though I always did,
17 And would again,
18 Because I want to see her so.
CHAPTER 261 She always knew better than me,
2 And she never wanted to move to Philadelphia,
3 Because she was from the country too,
4 But she wanted me to be happy,
5 And I wanted to be a success,
6 fWhich is pretty much of a meaningless word in a world of millponds and mourning doves,
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