While I was reading Merlin's blog about the pest infestation at his house, a poem came to the forefront of my mind. It seemed to come of its own volition, as I haven't thought of this poem in a number of months.
You see, there was an old lady that swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die.
As you can see from this excerpt, it is equally as profound as one of Stevens' poems and I think there might even be a few lessons to learn.
#1= Chew your food.
This one goes without saying, it seems ludicrous to not chew your food, right? Nevertheless, the poem is very specific that she swallowed each of the animals. I am quite certain that her constant disregard for normal eating habits led to her ultimate demise. In the next line, she swallows a horse and then dies, of course.
#2= Respect your elders.
I like to think that if this little old lady had a grandchild around, he or she probably would have talked sense to her at some point. At least she probably could have been prevented from eating the cat... I'm not too worried about spiders and birds, but the cat was sort of the catalyst for when things really got out of hand.
#3= Eating a fly was probably the least of her problems.
Besides the evident loneliness and possible mental illness that led to this poor woman's downfall, thatsfit.com says that the average human eats about 2 pounds of insects inadvertently each year. I don't know how this study was conducted but, now that I know the facts, I'd say a fly here and there isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.
So Merlin, don't let that fly get the best of you. Show that fly who is higher up on the food chain.
Anywho, if you don't like my advice, here is what Stevens' says on the subject. I looked in the index and this is his only mention of any sort of "fly".
"Flyer's Fall"
This man escaped the dirty fates,
Knowing that he did nobly, as he died.
Darkness, nothingness of human after-death,
Receive and keep him in the deepnesses of space—
Profundum, physical thunder, dimension in which
We believe without belief, beyond belief.
I won't deny that it is a bit more grim than the "Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly", but it is equally as thought-provoking.
You see, there was an old lady that swallowed a cow,
I don't know how she swallowed a cow.
She swallowed the cow to catch the dog,
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat,
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird,
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider,
She swallowed the spider to catch the fly;
I don't know why she swallowed a fly - perhaps she'll die.
As you can see from this excerpt, it is equally as profound as one of Stevens' poems and I think there might even be a few lessons to learn.
#1= Chew your food.
This one goes without saying, it seems ludicrous to not chew your food, right? Nevertheless, the poem is very specific that she swallowed each of the animals. I am quite certain that her constant disregard for normal eating habits led to her ultimate demise. In the next line, she swallows a horse and then dies, of course.
#2= Respect your elders.
I like to think that if this little old lady had a grandchild around, he or she probably would have talked sense to her at some point. At least she probably could have been prevented from eating the cat... I'm not too worried about spiders and birds, but the cat was sort of the catalyst for when things really got out of hand.
#3= Eating a fly was probably the least of her problems.
Besides the evident loneliness and possible mental illness that led to this poor woman's downfall, thatsfit.com says that the average human eats about 2 pounds of insects inadvertently each year. I don't know how this study was conducted but, now that I know the facts, I'd say a fly here and there isn't that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.
So Merlin, don't let that fly get the best of you. Show that fly who is higher up on the food chain.
Anywho, if you don't like my advice, here is what Stevens' says on the subject. I looked in the index and this is his only mention of any sort of "fly".
"Flyer's Fall"
This man escaped the dirty fates,
Knowing that he did nobly, as he died.
Darkness, nothingness of human after-death,
Receive and keep him in the deepnesses of space—
Profundum, physical thunder, dimension in which
We believe without belief, beyond belief.
I won't deny that it is a bit more grim than the "Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly", but it is equally as thought-provoking.
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