kassandraloxias.livejournal.comKassandra comes down into the bar. She is wearing a gleaming white silk chiton with a deep border of imperial blue, and enough richly-wrought gold jewelry to make an archaeologist faint away. Her hair is twisted and coiled and glossily piled upon her head. She carries a waxed board under one arm, carefully.
She finds a good place in the middle of the bar, in fair light, and stands up on a table.
She has been busy reading, these past days. Now, she declaims the epic of the Dogs That Go.
"Sing in me, Muse, of the dogs that go, dogs big, small, black, like snow.
Tell of fearless Dog the Hatted, who accosted Dog the Hatless, son
of Blackie, son of FooFoo, son of Spot, while he rode his reckless cart.
See! Dogs of motley colour, on trees, and on trees, and again on trees.
Around in carts they go. Up they go. Down they go! Behold, it is
Surely a mystery of the gods, why they persist, in, out, up, down.
And then the dogs that go ventured into the water, Lord Poseidon's water,
And on it set a house, in a boat, in defiance and unreason.
Dog the Hatted rose again in challenge of Dog the Hatless, who
Would not bow or bend in that matter of honour, tasteful hats.
And so waned the days of the dogs that go, under the bright arrows of
Apollo, Lord Sun. The dogs worked! Lo, they played! Festivals they held,
In a house, on a boat, at night, in defiance and unreason.
The dogs fled fast in fear of Dog the Hatted when again he rose
And tested Dog the Hatless, Tasteful in Headgear.
And Apollo, Lord Sun, discomfited their reckless carts; with red
light and light of green he taunted them. 'Now stop! Now go! Ha, ha, ha.'
Then came night, and cast the dogs that go into deep and profound sleep.
Dawn, with her rosy-coloured fingers, woke the dogs that go, and roused them!
Compelled by the gods, they halted their reckless carts before a great tree.
Up the tree surged the dogs that go, heroic, striving that bitter way.
Dogs of motley colour, dogs big, small, black, like snow, all ascended.
A festival they held, a great festival of dog-lords, steeped in
Glory and richly-scented offerings of meat, bright blankets,
Crunchy kibble and mysterious red squeaky bones, such as dogs love.
And there Dog the Hatted once more came before Dog the Hatless, there
They buried their feud and found a worthy hat, and in honour parted."