THE FIRING SQUAD (SONG LYRICS)
OUTRAGEOUS FATE AND FORTUNE
LISTEN HERE: THE FIRING SQUAD — SUNO
LISTEN HERE: THE FIRING SQUAD — YOUTUBE
The military firing line should have been assembled and ready… with all five shooters prepared and steady.
We all knew our responsibilities yet felt very ill at ease.
All had undergone procedural training; each understood the rifle handling and aiming.
This task wasn’t the same as a 21-gun funeral salute, shooting at someone — to execute — the outcome is intended to be absolute.
Shooting blanks ceremonially is different from when a prisoner is found legally guilty. Besides, Scott was a funny and interpersonal kind of guy.
In every way, having Scott around seemed to brighten up each day.
In this case, the prisoner, chose his mode of execution. He stated, “Being more social, it seems the better ultimate solution.”
He suggested that other ways, were less subtle and so much trouble.
Building that gallows and guillotine, all didn’t seem entirely environmentally green. A firing squad was anything but routine.
Over the several months duration of Scott’s incarceration, we all understood his fears and frustrations.
The whole squad knew there was no way to interdict. Each man buried some emotional conflict for this specific political convict.
Under a tyrannical government dictation, such a revolutionist is viewed as an undesirable aberration. Scott’s crimes were solely political damnation, not nefarious acts… like murder or human exploitation.
He was expressively in good form — telling jokes about the outside early November storm. His metaphor wasn’t lost, nor on what we now would need to perform.
All five men knew of the defendant and his extremely unfair predetermined sentence. There was nothing more to say, regardless of his guilt or innocence.
The conviction and punishment were stated and adjudicated. The prisoner’s appointment slated and fully fated.
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It was only twenty-two minutes before his doom. The appointed time was at noon.
As understood protocol, one shot is blank from them all, so no shooter knows who fired the lethal rounds overall.
The blank round provides plausible deniability, regardless of each shooter’s true utility.
Ted had a vision astigmatism resulting in misalignment through his rifle scope. It all appeared slightly sloped, stretched, and skewed, his target was inaccurately viewed and whole aiming too crude.
Jessy knew well the prisoner, Scott, although he understood his duty at hand. There were swelling tears in his eyes, and his shot didn’t hit as planned.
Matt was a bit different from the other guys; he always had crossed eyes. His nearsightedness was also optically apart from that — having cheap special lenses — so that’s how his whole vision problem sat. Unfortunately, for Matt, he was substantially blind as a bat… accidentally leaving his glasses at the local laundromat.
Sam’s glasses, from the rain outside streaming, kept awkwardly steaming. Regardless, of how he tried to keep them clear and dry, his shot seemed to still go wide.
Frank had perfect vision and was the best marksman of the five. Some have said that he’s the best shot alive. As an Olympic firearm champion, he was highest ranked. Awkwardly, Frank had been given the blank.
All the other four shots completely missed Scott.
If a prisoner survives an execution by firing squad, it may be seen as an “Act of God” or clear divine intervention, often leading to potential leniency or political corrective introspection.
Unfortunately, for Scott, there was a coming election. None of his political enemies would ever consider such a notion. There was no time for such clemency in a last-minute motion.
This execution immediately continued, after going off the rails. However, even with some additional shooters, the second volley failed.
Then a third attempt just seemed like heavenly contempt. All the rifles misfired, and the prisoner was starting to smile… and be admired.
The captain stepped forward, with his backup handgun, shouting, “This business must be done!”
The surrounding storm began to really howl, the captain’s gun just jammed, as he indicated, “Well, I’ll be utterly damned.”
After the lightning struck the captain that way, we all knew it was time to call it a day.
Another very bright glowing light opened the front gate, for Scott to more easily escape.
I personally saw the bonds fall off Scott’s wrists.
The corporal shouted, “Everyone is dismissed!”
That’s the last we ever saw of Scott, yet I know he will always be missed.
…always be missed.
© 2024 Peter W. Collier
