In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

39 Parade One day the skinniest boys in town decided to dress up like grown men. They wore paisley four-in-hands, and threepiece readymade suits, dark blue with pinstripes, with a carnation in the lapel. They wore dark shoes and socks, like conscripts. They wore rings on their fingers of gold and semi-precious stones, like gondoliers. They hid their skinniness with great wads of paper. They wore monogrammed Oxford shirts with French cuffs and magic cufflinks, and bowler hats like those worn by dignitaries at a ceasefire. They carried tooled leather briefcases. They wore pine-scented cologne and carried a pine branch. Last but not least, they wore trench coats big enough to conceal a broadsword. The townspeople lined the streets. The skinniest boys in town were on parade. Three cheers for their habiliments! 01.Poems.1-64_Fried.indd฀฀฀39 11/28/05฀฀฀12:33:20฀PM ...

Share