Meandering Through the Writings of Others as a Practice of Lament: 17 Carnations

“Wildflower Garden” Phone Photo, DS

Here is today’s exploration:

Morton, Andrew. 17 Carnations. 2015.

967 words

The benchmark for the others to follow . . . *** He was the first royal sex symbol of the modern age. *** He looked more human than the others, almost vulnerable. *** swollen after shaking so many hands *** spontaneous adulation and adoring affection *** He balked at the very idea of becoming king. *** The gloomy prince considered suicide as the only sure way out . . . *** reserved and shy *** The prince blam[ed] the malign behaviour of politicians for creating conflict between ordinary Germans and Englishmen. *** generation haunted by the First World War . . . *** extensive stamp collection *** considered himself a leading member of the so-called Jazz Age . . . *** Even a saint would find himself driven to exasperation. *** consider hs safe haven the United States . . . *** foreign republic where the runaway regal could easily be led astray *** was after all a bona fide war hero *** prince taking risks that would make many others shudder *** caste system where royalty only married other royalty *** English royals traditionally matched with their German counterparts. *** Procreation is the principle function of royalty . . . *** The future of the crown rested on the shoulders of the firstborn. *** Dramas went on behind the royal curtains . . . *** a fall from his horse *** working on his beloved garden, playing bagpipes or ukulele *** an acquaintance that within five years would set the throne tottering *** a toughness, a boldness, and a greed paired with a gnawing sense of insecurity *** She was chic, well-groomed, but not traditionally pretty. *** intelligent laughter, her manner confident and animated, her carriage graceful *** He was a quiet Renaissance man. *** her breezy conversational style *** The talk was witty and crackled with new ideas . . . *** No letter, no nothing. Just silence. *** neither gorgeous, not glamourous, had no title, standing, or lineage, not any money . . . *** The Simpsons were watched and followed every day . . . *** Se, money, drugs, and Fascist politics . . . *** Peter Pan figure . . . blackmail upon an extravagant basis *** spoken of openly as a Nazi spy *** Here soirees are the talk of the town. *** conversation sparkled along with diamond tiaras *** the respectable years of the Nazi regime *** sending seventeen carnations – some say roses – every day to her apartment *** He proved to be a willing acolyte. *** The prince had clearly been out manoeuvred . . . *** his growing belief that what he said and did could transform traditional thinking *** the king and his son both firmly of the opinion that another war was simply unimaginable *** quiet invasion of German nobility onto English shores *** the fascination of London society for aristocratic Fascism *** She seemed to be able to hypnotize men in the way he could transfix audiences . . . *** the Fuehrer ordering that the new king be treated like one of the family  . . . Edward and Wallis were the pivot for Anglo-German relations. *** The new king believed that the funeral was an occasion to extend the hand of friendship to former adversaries . . . backing of fifty members of both Houses of Parliament *** The new tenant knew little an interfered much . . . *** secret codes used by British embassies could be compromised . . . *** a further factor in a toxic mix *** The allies hesitated and did nothing. *** behind the bluster and bonhomie *** Sceptics were kept at arms-length . . .  *** the seduction of the Canadian-born Lord Beaverbrook *** It was all an act. *** unpublished memoir *** the unlikely catalyst who inadvertently started the countdown to abdication *** It began, as these things often do with . . . the urgency of sex. *** Her whole future was decided by these two men without discussing it with her. It left her absolutely shaken. *** own Masonic Lodge *** It was as impossible as it was impractical. *** to be more diligent with his red boxes . . . *** That anguished letter broke the king’s heart. *** In the face of that tortured emotional blackmail . . . *** I feel it will hurt your popularity in the country. *** She felt trapped. *** tragedy for him and catastrophe for me *** The drawbridges were going up behind me. *** the disloyal, rootless, and shallow circle who deserted . . . *** The queen’s opinion prevailed . . . *** The duke forgot the first rule of royalty – never complain, never explain . . . *** General Motors put a fleet of ninety Buicks at their disposal. *** It was a fitting place for an ex-king to hang up his crown. *** In the dogged pursuit of peace . . . *** keen to sign up and help the country he once ruled in its hour of need *** Churchill took him to the secret room . . . *** the miracle of Dunkirk *** He had his own scheme for the duke and duchess. *** For a man schooled in the arts of discretion and prudence, he was making the most tactless and incendiary statements. *** The duke and duchess were rapturously received in Miami . . . *** The duke settled a serious race riot and managed to reduce the muscle of the ‘overmighty’ Bay Street mafia. *** 1,200 tons of files *** It was only in death that the duke and duchess were finally readmitted to the royal club, lying side by side in the royal burial ground at Frogmore on the grounds of Windsor Castle. *** 

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