The Black Flame 1
- THE BLACK FLAME 1 - A black ink and gray pencil drawing on an 11 x 14 size vellum paper. It appears in the Pb, "The Black Flame," by Lynn Abbey, Ace Pb, 1985
The year was 1933, the place was Main avenue in Passaic, NJ. The event was the Veteran's Day parade. I was 3 years old and still remember sitting on the shoulders of my father, feeling his hands holding my feet. We came early to get a good spot on the sidewalk, right at the curb. It seemed as if the entire city was there, it was hard to find a good place to stand. And after a time I heard voices shouting, "Here they come!" And then in the distance I heard the sound of, "Tum Ditty Tum, Ditty Tum Tum Tum . . .
And boy! Did they come! At that young age I was in awe of the crowds, of the many loud bands, of the seemingly endless ranks of World War one veterans, horses, rolling canons, armored trucks, flags and banners. And when the last of them had passed by, the crowds remained, waiting . . .
And then, again; "Tum Ditty Tum, Ditty tum tum tum". And I saw two soldiers on horseback coming slowly down the street. Two old men, one dressed in blue, and the other in gray. Behind them came more old soldiers, on foot, in blue and in gray, some in full uniform, some partly in uniform, some using canes to walk, a few in wheelchairs. And instead of cheers people yelled slogans and hosannas, and battle cries! And I saw some people with tears in their eyes! - One long-bearded soldier dressed in gray passed by so close to me that I leaned forward to try to touch him, but he was a bit too far. He smiled at me as he marched by . . .
I used to think of THE CIVIL WAR as early American history, an important event that happened a long time ago. But now, when I realize that I almost touched one of the soldiers who fought in the war . . . then, didn't it happen just yesterday?
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