Brazenly
Heavenly Cecilia,
The Emperor is a
such a clever man! Who would have thought that taxing the horns could have
wrought such a change in the timbre and tempo of life in the capital? The
waltzes flow so smoothly now that there has not been a single duel fought since
the prelate and the equerry wounded each other's dignity so profoundly March
last. Have you ever known two antagonists to conduct themselves so poorly?
I look forward to
the day when our embouchures once again entwine and until then I remain
brazenly your,
Alphonse Gaston
"Alphonse Gaston" was a comic routine named after the title characters in a series of cartoons by American cartoonist Frederick Burr Opper. They first appeared in the New York Journal on September 22, 1901; though never a daily or even weekly feature, Alphonse and Gaston appeared on Sundays for more than a decade and popularized their "After you, Alphonse.", "No, you first, my dear Gaston!" routine. The premise was that both were extremely polite, constantly bowing and deferring to each other, so neither could ever do anything or go anywhere since each insisted on letting the other precede him. From the Sunday comics the characters were adapted to comedy skits, several movie shorts, and a stage play, and the catchphrase "After you, my dear Alphonse" continues to the present day, spoken in situations when two people are being overly courteous to each other, or when a person receives a dare to do something difficult or dangerous or both. Sometimes it is said when two people are simultaneously trying to go through the same doorway and awkwardly stop to let the other go through. The phrase has a specific meaning in baseball lingo: when two fielders allow a catchable ball to drop between them, it is known as “doing the Alphonse and Gaston." The Alphonse-Gaston Syndrome has also been used to describe a diplomatic ploy in which nations use each other’s inaction to shirk their own responsibility.
ReplyDeleteThis awesome poet writers with personality. I love this poem!
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