A Flarfy Phrase

I wonder what Lincoln meant

by his flarfy sentiment

when in eighteen sixty three

he pronounced in poetry:

“better angels of our nature”

with its highfalutin* flavor.

Whether it’s pretentious or not,

the rest of it has been forgot.

Was he glorifying the dead

who should all be living instead?

or was he glorifying war,

and what were the angels for?

Were angels killing each other?

We find it hard to discover.

Walt Abbott 6-2-2011

*You thought i made up this word

because it sounds kind of absurd.

But the website “one look” says

a top hat is a sort of fez.

It also lists twenty-two

English dictionaries for you

where highfalutin is defined.

Doesn’t this sort of blow your mind?

Look in your own dictionary

if you think it necessary.

wpa