| First Rictus | Second Rictus |
| Balloon boy's flying | Balloon boy's flying |
| Balloon boy's flying | Balloon boy's flying |
| First a rumor | Balloon boy's flying |
| Then a picture | |
| Glimpse of sliver | |
| Strange and silver | |
| Slowly turning | Balloon boy's flying |
| Is it burning? | |
| There's a child stuck inside it. | |
| First a rumor | Balloon boy's flying |
| Then a picture | |
| Glimpse of sliver | |
| Strange and silver | |
| Slowly turning | Balloon boy's flying |
| Is it burning? | |
| There's a child stuck inside it. | |
| First no one could believe it | Balloon boy's flying |
| Then no one couldn't believe it | |
| How could we know | Balloon boy's flying |
| That there was not a child stuck in a balloon? | |
| First no one could believe it | Balloon boy's flying |
| Then no one couldn't believe it | |
| How could we know | Balloon boy's flying |
| That there was not a child stuck inside it? | |
| Ft. Collins boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| Six-year-old boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| Ft. Collins boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| Six-year-old boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| White little boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| Six-year-old boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| White little boy missing | Rumor, rumor |
| Gone in balloon? | Rumor, rumor |
| Gone in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Boy in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Gone in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Boy in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Gone in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Boy in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Gone in balloon missing | Stranger, stranger |
| Wait, there's footage? | Stranger, stranger |
| Look at the live footage | Picture, picture |
| Latest balloon footage | Picture, picture |
| Look at the live footage | Picture, picture |
| Latest balloon footage | Picture, picture |
| Look at the live footage | Picture, picture |
| Latest balloon footage | Picture, picture |
| Look at the live footage | Picture, picture |
| He's gonna die? | Picture, picture |
| Boy in balloon to die | Danger, danger |
| Lack of oxygen | Danger, danger |
| Boy in balloon to die | Danger, danger |
| Lack of oxygen | Danger, danger |
| Boy in balloon to die | Danger, danger |
| Lack of oxygen | Danger, danger |
| Boy in balloon to die | Danger, danger |
| He's gonna crash? | Danger, danger |
| Boy in balloon falling | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Clear the airspace | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Boy in balloon falling | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Clear the airspace | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Boy in balloon falling | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Clear the airspace | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Boy in balloon falling - | Worst fear, worst fear |
| Wait, it's empty? | Worst fear, worst fear |
| (pause) | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I am a news channel | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I need a dead child | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I am a news channel | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I need a dead child | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I am a news channel | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I need a dead child | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| I am a news channel | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| Who is to blame? | Not true, not true, not true, not true |
| Is this a hoax? | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Answer the charges | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Is this a hoax? | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Answer the charges | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Is this a hoax? | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Answer the charges | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Is this a hoax? | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| All for a show? | Outrage, outrage, outrage |
| Lock up the family | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| How could you do this t'us? | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| Lock up the family | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| How could you do this t'us? | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| Lock up the family | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| How could you do this t'us? | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| Lock up the family | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| How could you do this t'us? | Scapegoat, scapegoat, scapegoat |
| (pause) | BARF! |
| 1, 2, 3 hours | |
| 4, 5, 6 hours | |
| 7, 8, 19, 10, 'leven, 12 hours' coverage | |
| My dear boy Falcon, as I go to pris'n | 13, 14, 15 hours |
| You may be asking why this has aris'n | 16, 17, 18 hours |
| As ancient Egypt once built pyr'mids tall, | 19, 20, 21, 22 hours' coverage |
| So media cov'rage dulls Obscurity's pall | |
| 23, 24, 25 hours | |
| As carv'd ob'lisks praised Pharaoh in Thebes, | 26, 27, 28 hours |
| Our nation dwell'd upon your cur'ous deeds | 29, 30, 31, 32 hours' coverage |
| You scarr'd our psyches as a Great Obsess'n | |
| 'Midst two wars and rav'nous Great Recess'n | 33, 34, 35 hours |
| 36, 37, 38 hours | |
| And should you live to ripe old Nin'ty-Fo'r | 39, 40, 41, 42 hours' coverage |
| Th' nation shall proclaim yo'r name once mor' | |
| I see your Times obit, st'rk bl'ck and gray: | 43, 44, 45 hours |
| "Th' boy in th' balloon has died today." | 46, 47, 48 hours |
| 49, 50, 51, 52 hours' coverage | |
| S' view Jon-Kate and Octomom as kin, | 53, 54, 55 hours |
| Go pursue fame and help our fam'ly win. | 56, 57, 58 hours |
| 59, 60, 61, 62 hours' coverage | |
| First no one could believe it | First no one could believe it |
| Then no one couldn't believe it | Then no one couldn't believe it |
| How could we know | How could we know |
| That there was not a child stuck inside a | That there was not a child stuck inside a |
Note: One-part pride and two-parts anal compulsion push me to share my winning Kilmer poem on this blog, so that The Phlog or other publications can reproduce the poem with proper layout. (c) 2009 by Edward A. Rueda
