Pageant

Grady McMurtry

Have you ever stood at sunset

Near the Portals of the bay

While the fog-horns sound their evening

Memons to the closing day?

Have you ever seen the Pageant

That a battle fleet can show

Standing out into the ocean

With her signal flags ablow

As each muscled floating fortress

Sliding through the channeled straight

Rides beneath the scimitared guardian,

The Colossus of the Gate?

Amazons, in cold gray armor,

Cavalcading to the West;

At their heels the swift destroyers

Plunge rollicking to the quest

Amazons, with colors streaming

From each latticed battle crest

While her catapulting falcons

Swirl above the roving nest;

Amazons, with cradeled lances

Held athwart each mighty chest;

Once again they are crusading

Keel on keel they pour cascading,

Down the sea lanes they’re parading

Cavalcading to the West.

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