Sunday, July 26, 2015

Why I'm not a poet



I used to really like that Tom Petty song "Wildflowers."


You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free


The other day I was walking and saw this:




And that song started running through my head.  And I thought, if I frolicked through that dreamy, romantic field of flowers, I would probably encounter about two thousand ticks, and at least 50 of them are carrying Lyme disease.  The place is a minefield!


Besides encouraging dangerous communion with nature, that lovely song is in the throes of denial:


Sail away, kill off the hours...
Go away somewhere all bright and new...
Run away, let your heart be your guide...
You belong in that home by and by


What hapless young woman wouldn't fall in love with such alluring poetry?  He'll even give her a home by and by.  


But think, woman!


He wants to stick you in a field of diseased bugs!  He didn't sing anything about paying the mortgage for that little house!  Or about caring for all your needs when you're laid up with &@$*! Lyme disease for three months because you were twirling around in a field of wildflowers getting ticks in your hair.  


Get real, Tom.  My version would go


I wanna run through thoroughly paved parking lots
Won't you come and avoid disease with me
Trying to cope with our vector-borne worry
You belong somewhere completely tick-free





No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...