Chatting with my friend Art, we got talking about old times and how our town of Northwood once had a common. Somehow, it got away from us decades ago. He recalled this very old saying:
The law prosecutes the man who steals the goose off the common. But the law protects the man who steals the common from under the goose.
Either way, the goose doesn't make out so well.
The other day at the Littleton Senior Center, folks were reciting oxymorons. I scribbled as fast as I could but couldn't get all of this one: "Early in the morning, in the middle of the night," and "back to back they faced each other, pulled out knives and shot each other." Who know the whole silly saying? I'd like to write it up.
Micki Simons carried this cute cane, hand carved by her son.
Here's more of the crowd. How we laughed!
Well, Becky, here's how I learned it as a child quite a few decades ago:
One bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other.
A deaf policeman heard the noise
And came to save the two dead boys.
If you don't believe me, _________,
Ask the blind man: he saw it all!
Sorry -- I just can't remember that one half line! And I'm sure there are plenty of variations of the piece, that being the nature of these things.
Nancy Larkin
Camarillo, California
Posted by: LarkLady | January 15, 2010 at 10:42 AM
See http://www.emule.com/2poetry/phorum/read.php?7,153336 for more versions, some of them quite lengthy :-)
Posted by: LarkLady | January 15, 2010 at 10:49 AM
Thank you, Nancy! It's funny how these poems stick with us, and take various forms over the years. I'm also wicked pleased that you're reading this blog all the way out in California! Too bad you're missing our lovely January freeze.
Becky
Posted by: Rebecca Rule | January 15, 2010 at 11:02 AM