‘The Calico Dragonfly,’ a Play by Henry (RR)

by Roving Reporter, ©2024 

(Dec. 21, 2024) — “I Like Dreamin’” (3:30)

The following play was written by Henry in collaboration with Professor Wert, the well-known author of children’s books.

As the curtain goes up, the music of the “Emperor’s Waltz” (2:16) is played as the house lights dim, revealing the stage set up as a pond with giant lily pads, some with tables, chairs and umbrellas. On a pad on the right, we see the “Can-Can” (0:46) lady frogs practicing their routine, while a pad on the left is a Ferris wheel that is under repair. The stage is dimly lit except for the spotlight above the center pad where the action is.

“And over here would be a nice location for the spa.”

“That’s nice, but what’s this here, on the edge?”

“Oh, don’t pay any attention to that. Years ago, some teenagers stole a speedboat and ran into the side there. It’s just cosmetic.”

“Well, I don’t like it. Reminds me of a corner.”

“Oh, that’s right, isn’t it? You frogs, from somewhere else, don’t like corners for some reason or other.”

“Well, that’s right. It’s in our genes, not to ever get cornered. We have what is called, ‘Corner Derangement Syndrome,’ if you must know. Like what the Dems did to the American people this past election: drove them into a corner so they had no choice but to vote MAGA. This seems like a nice pad, although that Ferris wheel concerns me. I mean, will it be a distraction with lights and noise?”

“Oh, no, it’s a very quiet Ferris wheel with dim lights and very little noise; trust me. So, do you like this pad? I can have the papers drawn up and you can move on as early as tomorrow. Will that be satisfactory?”

“I think so, but I would like to meet the neighbor on the pad in the rear before I decide, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. He’s a Dragonfly, a Calico dragonfly, if memory serve me. A very colorful figure. Been a senator forever, it seems. Watched the deficit grow from a few billion to over 40 trillion, so you can see he’s been very busy. You know, don’t you, that with that kind of mark-up he must be very, very wealthy, you know — with taking bribes and receiving all those kickbacks.”

“For sure. What party is he?”

“I believe he’s in it for himself.”

“No, I mean is he a Democrat or a Republican?”

“And I answered, the ‘Himself’ Party. The ‘Me, Me, Mine’ political party, the largest and most successful political party in the last 80 years. If the IRS would audit those lifer politicians — you know, find out where all those deposits came from — maybe truth and honesty would see the light of day; until then, forget it.”

“So, nothing’s changed?”

“Got to keep those lobbyists employed, right?”

‘For sure.”

The stage lights dim and the house light brighten as the curtain is lowered to the song of “If You Leave Me Now” (3:55)

FINI