Pieces of 8

Pieces of 8

Staring down at my big-knuckled hands,
scanning from left to right,
I spy the middle finger
of my right hand, the designated greeter
for all officers of the Washington State Patrol.

Ernest Hemingway’s eighth book would have
been ISLANDS IN THE STREAM, which was
published posthumously and was based on
personal exploits with his boat, the Pilar,
off Cuba during WWII.

The eighth signer of the Declaration of
Independence right after Alexander Hamilton
was a mystery man since there were
only seven designated Founding Fathers.

Sharks patrol in shallow water, but the
Great White always lurks 8 fathoms deep.

Shakespeare’s eighth play, TWO GENTLEMAN
OF VERONA (1594) was performed admirably
at Stratford-On-Avon, starring John Gielgud
in 1938.

Route 8 runs in some form or other, as highway,
interstate, state, or route 58 times in America.

The eighth highest mountain in the world
is Kutang, at 26, 759 feet in Nepal.

LIVE AND LET DIE (1971) was eighth in the
film series, sporting the introduction of
Roger Moore as James Bond 007.

There were eight maids a’milking on that
eighth day of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

RENT, was the eighth longest running Broadway
musical.

Eighth grade is both a peak and valley as
teen years beckon, followed too soon by adulthood.

“8 Bells” was that famous 1886 oil painting
of two mariners by Winslow Homer.

Palmer’s 1949 fastback Oldsmobile 88,
Lucille, had the big V-8 in a smallish body,
and it was considered the first real muscle car.

The Eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
is in the Bill of Rights, regarding the use
of cruel and unusual punishment.

The Eighth Commandment, Exodus 20:2-17,
tells us to remember the Sabbath Day,
and to keep it holy.

The Lord’s Day, often called the Eighth Day,
was the day of Christ’s resurrection.

Henry VIII only had six wives, and to his
credit he only beheaded two of them.

Louis VIII was the Duke of Bavaria
in 1443, and he was called
Louis the Hunchback.

The Eighth Air Force was a redisignation
of the VIII Bomber Command in England
in 1944.

Glenn Buttkus September 2010

Posted as #74 over on Magpie Tales 32