It's true I have some regrets in life
The truth is..... I think now..... I should
have been Zardo and not Bardo
Zardo I think has more of a 'Zing' to it
It's a bit like Zorro
For I too wear a mask, I write hidden
behind a pseudonym
Moving stealthily like some elusive
Ninja warrior,
Or like some swashbuckling pirate
hero yeah!
I descend upon the Site with a
flourish
Swinging in like Errol Flynn trailing
behind me great romance and
adventure
I bring my magic, I dazzle with my
swordplay, my verbal acrobatics
Send all the shadows fleeing,
rescuing the poor damsels, the sad
heroine grieving
Releasing the downtrodden from
their onerous chains and shackles
Bringing Justice once more to the
World
I bring them all a gift... the gift of... of
Freedom!!!
Then as suddenly as I came... I'm gone,
yea! I vanish
But not before leaving my mark, with
lightning strokes, my Calling Card
A big "Z" Z for Zardo, written,
emblazoned with my sword:
The people they all gather around
just like detectives after a crime
They view my wonderful damage,
can only stare and marvel
Then someone shouts, he points a
finger
"Look!! The sign! Z!!! It was Him...it...it
was Zardo!!!"
"Zardo!!!" the whole crowd gasps in
awed hushed tones,
"It...it was Zardo!!!"
All I need now is a good theme tune
[Song: O Zar..arr..do! Where do you come from/ Where do you go Zar..arr..do!]
II
O! the ladies of an evening, they come
out onto their balconies to coo
To watch the sun set & the rising of
the Moon
Secretly they sigh and whisper onto
themselves
"O! Zardo, where art thou, my Sweet
Prince, my Secret Love
How my heart it longs, it yearns for
thee,
I can see you, see you almost, upon a
striking Black Horse galloping
[Song: O! Zarr...arr...do, your brooding
dark looks, your flashing blade/
Riding through the Glens of Ireland
yeah!].
O! Zardo, in my dreams I walk with
thee, you hold me in your arms
O! Zardo, can I see it...will you not show it to me....let me touch it, hold it,
feel it...your... your gleaming sword,
your flashing blade yea!
Your golden pen from which
beautiful dreams are made
O! Zardo your golden Excalibur like
sword
Please! O Please! Unsheathe it!"
[Song: O! Zar..arr..do, with your eyes so soft/ But your arms so strong/
O! Zar..arr..do, Greatest Lover of them
all!]
O! the wind it rustles in the trees, a fleeting shadow flits across the fields
"O! Zardo, is that you ? Is that you ? "
they cry,
My Darling ! my Sweetness !
My shadowy Knight, my Heart's
Delight".
[Song: The Wind it whispers
Zar..arr..do/ The valleys they echo
his name]
O! Zardo if only you were here... if
only".
III
Meantime back in my sanctuary
hideaway home, safely ensconced
I reside....like some insanely brilliant
criminal mastermind
Here I can be myself, here I can laugh,
Here I can unwind, let my guard
down
Remove my cape and mask, lay my
sword aside
Here I can feast in peace & toast my
Art sublime
And around my fireside wildly dance
and sing
"O! they know me,
Yet they know me not Ha! Ha!"
Like some impish Rumpelstiltskin.....
[Song: O! Zar..arr..do, Nobody knows from whence he comes/ Or where he goes/ Mysterious Masked stranger/ Fearless Lone Ranger... Zar..arr..do!]
IV
But now, back here in the real world
I must again resume my humble
place/role...my double life
Don my Civy clothes once again
& like a chameleon blend in with the
crowd
Just another nameless face...a mere
office worker by day
[Distant Song: O! Zar..arr..do]
Here I must play another game,
maintain my secrecy at all times,
Feeling like a Secret Agent, feeling
like a spy
I must yes!....I must live a lie
For they must never know my secret
Who l really am... my true identity
Yes! I must be merciful to them &
mercy show them (& to myself also)
For my sun...my sun it would burn too
brightly for them
They'd all be starstruck, yea! they'd go
all funny, all wobbly on me
They'd be stuttering and stammering,
jibbering and jabbering
They'd go all self-conscious on me,
not know what to say or do
They'd be all staring, they'd be all
agog
"I never knew what Genius would
ever look like", they'd say,
"And all the time it was sitting there
right in front of me, right in our
midst,
But... but he's so quiet and he looks so
ordinary"
They'd come down from other floors
just to see me
They'd whisper excitedly "Is that Him? Is that Him?"
And the others would reply "Yes! that's Him, that's Genius! that's what
Genius looks like"
Why! it'd be suffocating, I'd find it
hard to breathe
I'd grow self-conscious too
I'd be just like an exhibit in the zoo.
And yet, y'know, there's this girl at
work, she's really sweet
She always has a lovely smile just for
me
So quiet and so graceful
O! how I wish... how I wish sometimes
I could just tell her, reveal myself to
her, the real me
Silently I call out to her, "No! this isn't the real me you see before you
No! I'm not this dithering Klark Kent
type office mouse
Look!!! (ripping off my shirt and tie revealing my Superman/Zardo vest)
Me! I'm Superman! Yes! I'm Zardo!!!"
[Music strikes up: O! Zar..ar..do! So
strong, so gallant, so bold! Zar..ar..do]
And she'd start to say almost afraid
" You, you're Zardo" and she'd start to
swoon, to feel faint
But I'd grab her and take her in my
arms, my strong embrace
"No!" I'd assure her, "don't be afraid,
no harm will come to thee
Fear not, you won't go aflame
Look! I'm just another human being,
just like yourself"
"But you, you're Zardo", she'd protest,
" Look! " I'd say smiling, "touch me
and see, pinch me if you like
I'm just flesh and blood, no different
than you",
"Come!" I'd say, "take my hand, climb up here onto my horse, Let me take you to the stars and beyond
Yea! Let me take you home, home to my place"
And she'd take my hand and off we'd go
Galloping away together into the moonlit night.
[Song: O! don't go Zar..arr..do, don't leave us here all alone.... They call him Zar..arr..do.....].
And his legend, it goes on....
"Z"
A bit of fun. I couldn't resist it, it just popped into my head. This is about Fame, hero worship, stardom, pseudonyms, anonymity etc all that nonsense. We"re all human yea! we all got to go to the toilet sometime, even the big stars. Ireland has had a lot of heroes. But then, then there was Zar...ar...do!
