Kings of
Earth Connecting Wolfowitz and Joey Clown---thru Johnny Cash
The kings of this earth shall lord it over their subjects But it shall not be so among you For I am among you as one who serves
Luke 22
I hear that train a comin It’s rollin round bend
Johnny Cash
Paul “The Warmonger” Wolfowitz sat down behind his polished mahogany desk on his first day at work at World Bank just as Joey “The Clown Lombardo” sat his old creaking bones down on front stoop of house in Chicago on west side near Grand and May.
Wolfowitz settles in to deep shinny leather chair, yanks his top right hand drawer clean out of desk, and on to floor. Taped to back of drawer is a yellowed dusty envelope sealed shut. A song drifts up from Washington DC street below and into his open 3rd floor window.
Wolfowitz is annoyed. It’s supposed to be quiet here.
Joey The Clown---right there in plain sight-- feels scratchy concrete of front stoop, picks up cup of good strong coffee he brought out here to enjoy nice spring morning in Chicago, hears same song coming from inside a small house across street from windowless “social club” where he sits and watches. Joey shrugs. He’s not looking for quiet here. Wolfowitz and Joey hear Johnny Cash. Rich voice deep as dirt, hard and knowing as scratchy concrete:
“I hear that train a comin’ It’s rollin round bend And I ain’t seen sunshine Since, I don’t know when.
Wolfowitz looks down at mess of paper clips and pens on his floor. Wonders who it is that cleans that up. Picks up a comb he had thrown in there earlier when they were doing a photo shoot and stuffs it in his suit coat. Joey Clown looks down as a piece of yesterday’s newspaper gets taken by wind, dancing in dust on down towards Grand Avenue in spring time light, Wolfowitz looks at floor again and old yellow envelope registers. He reaches down and tears it off. Opens it up and it’s a one word letter on World Bank Stationary signed by Robert McNamara—Viet Nam’s Wolfowitz. Scrawled out in middle of page, in crab like handwriting: McNamara had just written word “SORRY” and signed it ROBERT MCNAMARA. Another piece of newspaper caught by wind blows over Joey Clown’s toes and he catches headline HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CLOWN???
Johnny Cash continues:
I’m stuck in Folsom Prison And time keeps draggin on But that train keeps on a rollin On down to San Antone.
Wolfowitz pokes a button on digital console on his desk, not really sure what it does, but thinking maybe it will get him to whoever it is that twill clean up mess on his floor. He thinks about McNamara. Man did NOT have my intellectual firepower. And he just did not understand evil like I do. Couldn’t see big picture. Couldn’t really see evil at work way I can. No WONDER he made such a mess of Viet Nam. And what in hell’s fiery blazes could powers that be have been THINKING when they put him in charge of World Bank!
Joey Clown looks out at quiet street and thinks about how espresso gets him so jittery now. Man hits 75 . . . .newspapers say he’s younger. . .but Joey Clown laughs to himself. . . .what do they know about this that or other---all he knows is that he can’t drink espresso like he used to. And so he wonders about what will Salvatore be bringing him now? Salvatore always took care of bringing cases of stuff to Joey. A regular thing. Like clock work. Every Monday afternoon, truck would pull up, Salvatore always with a joke and a case or two to make sure Joey and boys had espresso. Because you HAD to make sure that loyalty wasn’t something you just TALKED about. Loyalty was that truck pulling up in front of Grand Avenue Social Club every Monday with a case or two of stuff falling off. And if boys could help Salvatore?
