Peaches en Regalia

Peaches en regalia,

The finest on the earth

Adorned with plaques of honor

A product of our birth

We gather up our soldiers

When the price of nectar’s high

When the masses start to mumble

When it’s time for more to die

Of course there will be casualties

The potatoes will lose some eyes

Cabbage could get shredded

The onions might get fried

Artichoke hearts might cease to beat

Heads of lettuce fall

Peas returned with blackened eyes

To be expected in a brawl

The beets may be all bloody

When the battle’s at its end

The neck might snap of some poor squash

But there’s always more to send

We’ll have them clean up the remains

The apples’ gutted cores

The flesh of fallen coconuts

Untold ears of corn

We’ll be counting up our spoils

While others are left to mourn

We’ll pin another medal

And blare the victory horn

Our fuzz will not be bloodied

Our lives will not be lost

Peaches en regalia

Never bear the cost

Written September 2023, after “Peaces en Regalia” by Frank Zappa. This was part of my 2023 appearance on Interprotations, a Tyler Hawes event, where three different artists covered/interpreted the same set list in very different ways.