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Voice Of An Angel
28 July, 2008
Author: Bipedalguy

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From a cloud she had descended in effortless flight. She spread her wings for beauty alone, for she was of the ether, and therefore weightless. Before me was an image unimaginable to a mortal. Her voice could only be described as angelic. How could it be not so? This was an angel.

“Benedictus”, she sang. The sound came not from her mouth, but seemed to come from everywhere. I had heard her voice as clearly before she had descended from far aloft.
It was like the sound of a gentle breeze which can be heard as well no matter from where one listens.

Her song, a requiem, was more beautiful than any I had yet heard. Whose requiem? I dared not ask. I could not ask. I could not speak with the air already filled with the essence of heaven, which her song and her voice could only be.

Soon I realized that none of those around me could hear this ethereal sound. I heard nothing else. I could see that the others were talking, but I heard nothing from them. I doubted that they could see the vision that my sight was blessed with on this, my final day.

When I was finally able to speak, I asked her why I could hear her beautiful voice when the others heard nothing. Without interrupting her song she simply said,
“You alone hear me for I have come for you alone. This is your time, and you shall come with me.”

Thump went the defibrillator. (nothing)

------- Author's Notes -------

At the end of the story i.e. "and you shall come with me."

Does anyone object to my use of "shall" with "you" (second person)? In most cases "will" is used with "you".

But, consider some elements of The Ten Commandments. The reversal of the normal rule "I shall" and "You will" has a specific purpose.

Consider this. "No one will save me. I shall drown".
"No one shall save me. I will drown".

The first one means he wants to be saved.
The second one means he wants to drown.
Both are correct use of the English language.

The reversal of the conventional rule, "shall" where "will"
is common, and "will where "shall" is common frequently signifies a command. More generally this reversal signifies the certainty that what the statement says
will in fact happen.

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Comments on this poem/writing:

anonymous (74.65.121.49) -- Monday, July 28 2008, 10:03 pm

shall is right....

bottom, the word shall means you have no choice. it is the correct word. you really don't have to explain or apologize to us for what you write, bipe - it's your poem, and when you consider all the other stuff on here, your use of one word over another is not a big worry - i worry about the fact that there must be a lot of p-poor teachers out there somewhere, from some of the stuff i've read...
anonymous (74.65.121.49) -- Monday, July 28 2008, 10:04 pm

should have written...

bottom line, the word shall.... (see? anyone can write, but not everyone can proofread before they hit "post your comment".
Bipedalguy (65.96.237.196) -- Monday, July 28 2008, 11:25 pm

Thanks anonymous

Thanks for your comments on "Voice of an Angel"

(re shall-will), I'm a 1960 H.S. grad. That's why I conform to some traditional rules.
This rule is dissolving under the influence of modern usage.

I agree that it seems like something's wrong with public education in recent decades. Proper use of the English language is one of the casualties.
It's obvious that we need to find a way to extract more taxes from the people, so we can appropriate the funds necessary to get this problem solved, once and for all. (My last sentence was an attempt to be funny) Sorry, I know it's not funny.

Bipe.
 
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