Ducks, Newburyport

by Lucy Ellmann

rampant passant, the fact that it symbolizes magnanimity, lion sejant erect, lion coward leopardé, salient, sejant, the fact that a lion passant gardant means it’s walking and showing its face, full frontal, the fact that that lion looks so friendly, salient, sejant, sejant erect, sage, birds, dolphins, bears, lion coward, lion dormant, the lion’s share, let sleeping dogs lie, leopard, cows, horses, unicorns, the fact that everything means something in heraldry, dormant, statant, statant gardant, coward, rampant regardant, hauriant, urinant, glissant, pascuant, the fact that pascuant means grazing, the fact that you have to be a cow or a rhinoceros to be pascuant, the fact that lions can’t do it, rhino eyes, the fact that the Open Carry guys might really like this, because heraldic shields are made up of metals and azure and gules and purple and sable, along with fesses, chevrons, bends, birds, bears, reptiles and other very exact and symbolic things, the fact that it would keep them all busy for years, the fact that call me crazy but a concealed pennant sounds a lot safer than a concealed pistol, kids’ samplers, Victory banner, shooting drills,