re Honorable Lies
a/n:this is based on katbybee's first HH fic; an exploration of Andrew Carter's hidden depths, explaining some of the inconsistencies and brief references in episodes. This is expanded on deftly and thoughtfully in some of her other works. Oh… and her "World Sandwich" remains one of my favourite glimpses of Carter's brain:-) Thanks to Snooky for looking this over.
He's bound to his native American heritage,
His nation's first people; a source of great pride.
He learns to adopt his mid-western identity;
A farm boy from Bullfrog with nothing to hide.
~0~
He listens, from childhood, to shared oral history;
To tales which are more than a thousand years old.
He learns to keep talking; his serpentine narratives
Dance and digress till his story is told.
~0~
He runs like a deer through the forest, runs silently;
As swift and sure-footed as hunters, long gone.
He learns to be blind to the simplest of obstacles;
No stone left unturned nor unstumbled upon.
~0~
He's been blessed, perhaps cursed, with a singular memory;
Retains every sight, every sound, every word.
He learns to recall and forget things haphazardly;
To mix up the details of anything heard.
~0~
He follows each track and each pathway instinctively;
He knows where he is, he will never be lost.
He learns to ignore what seems clear cut and obvious,
And heads the wrong way, smile in place, fingers crossed.
~0~
He fashions a bow; perfect line, perfect balancing;
And arrows, designed to fly straight, to fly true.
He learns to hold back, to aim sideways and clumsily;
To rely on a comrade to see the task through.
~0~
He's witnessed so much in his years on the battlefield;
His youth, his naivety, put to the test.
He learns to view life, wearing rose-tinted spectacles;
He's older, and younger, than records suggest.
~0~
He works undercover; he speaks the Lakota tongue;
A fluent code talker, he's one of so few.
He learns to be simply another war casualty,
With no unique talents, just part of the crew.
~0~
His glee at explosions, his skill at foe mimicry,
His joy in close friendships, require no disguise;
But his past and his purpose are covert and classified…
His honorable secrets,
His honorable lies.
~0~