Parable

Montgomery, child of Ishmael, native of Arizona, three stones weight and one-half score of age, throws a boomerang into the with a swift and hard thrust. The boomerang leaves his hand, travels upward and away, and curls around. Montgomery loses sight of the boomerang and thusly does not see it arch behind him, out of his field of vision. Suddenly, with a sharp pang, the boomerang hits him in the back of the head. He falls to the ground, touches his raw skull, and pulls his hand away. Blood runs down his neck. He, through furious tears, picks up the boomerang with his blood-stained hand and hurls it into the air and flees before the boomerang returns.



Years later, Montgomery, son of Ishmael, native of New York, eight stones weight and two and a half score, is walking down a busy sidewalk. His tie is vermilion; his suit pin-striped. Suddenly, he feels a sharp pain in the back of his head. He falters in his gate and falls to the ground. He hears a clatter. He touches his head and feels warm blood running down his neck. Through teary eyes he sees a boomerang lying idly on the sidewalk. He hurries away in nervous confusion.

A few blocks later he walks into a haberdashery and goes immediately to a trio of full length mirrors. The tailor smiles at him and then, seeing the look of worry in Montgomery's eyes, drops his smile. Montgomery turns his head to look at the wound reflection off the juxtaposed mirrors and he sees blood running down his neck and staining his suit. But he also sees much dried blood on his suit, faded and much older than the blood gushing from his new wound. He sees that he has been bleeding down the back of his neck and staining his suits for years. He sees that, from the time he was a child, he has never stopped bleeding.