where the phrase "drawing a line in the sand" came from

one of the most vivid images of my early youth was born at the alamo in william travis's bootheel. i imagined him countless times throughout my childhood pressing his boot into the dirt and dragging it across the courtyard forming a line between himself and everyone else. i imagined him standing there in silence for a few minutes while everyone wondered what he was doing. and then i watched him, with the inner side of my mind, let loose the roar of great lion king, his arms held high in proclamation and demand that any coward who wished to flee for his life should stay on the other side of the line, but every man that had the will or means to fight should come and stand beside him. and one by one, they all crossed over the line to stand beside him, even knowing that there was no hope for their survival.
i missed that scene in the film. that scene belonged in the film. that story belongs to that scene.

2004-11-30 | 7:58 p.m.
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