About Red Tales

Here's an evolving electronic collection of short prose pieces, with a poem contributed occasionally. Brevity guides. Although sometimes a piece will run to 900 words, most pieces are much shorter. Here one may find erotica, flash fiction, brief observations, and modest improvisations. Another rule is that each piece must have something to do with"red"; at least the word has to appear in each piece functionally. . . . All pieces are numbered and titled, so there's a de facto table of contents running down the rail below, under "Labels" (scroll down a bit). Browse for titles that look interesting, if you like. Thank you for stopping by. Look for some red today, tonight.

"Flaming June," by Frederick Lord Leighton

"Flaming June," by Frederick Lord Leighton

Sunday, September 14, 2008

27. Rhetoric

Grant me red, and I shall argue efficiently for purple.

Bring me reliable orange data, and I shall infer red.

I am convinced that white and red can reach a pink consensus.

O, rhetoricians and publicans, O red-tongued gabbers and gossipers, convincers and shaders, workers-of-the-precincts, we raise our glasses of deep-ruby wine to you.

May you disagree garrulously forever; may you sink efficient fascism in the lovely red mud of your speeches, essays, opinions, and claims. May you rinse the puffy faces of ministers and thugs with cold, clear watery questions. Talk on, walk on, write often, confuse the confusers of issues with refutations. Quibble, jabber, jaw-bone, murmur. Rise to speak. Sit to listen. Lean back to laugh. Wave your red incorrigible flags of democracy and contrarianesque red polka-dotted handkerchiefs. Wear the powerful fools out with words and reasoning, pepper them with paprika-seasoned rhetoric, O rhetors, O saucy suaders.

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