Photograph by Paul Hsu
Master Chordata's Speech in Three Parts
I
Brothers and Sisters of the Orders of Frog and Toad, here lies a fellow amphibian, slain on the battlefield. Let us prepare the body for a proper burial. Lord of the Flies, have mercy on all of our souls.
II
Sergeant Metadata Anura-Bufo served as a Special Forces training officer in the Marine Army and leaves behind spouse and spawn. This is he, my beloved son, may he rest in peace and make the leap into the great unknown.
III
Ultimately, we seem to bumble through our froggy and toady lives, fumbling with maladroit words before stumbling upon more felicitous ones to express our grievous losses of loved ones in these interminable tribal wars. With rocks and stones, let us build this memorial. Yes, dear family and friends, today we gather together by the wind-stirred waters of collective memory and bathe-light this solemn occasion in a tongue-tied stillness as raindrops paint the desert and as silence follows the question.
by Paul Hsu 8/21-26/16
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