Nobody and No Body

 

 

Easy to spot when written

But not as easy otherwise,

In reading it is the intonation

Unless otherwise disguised.

 

Text, audio and video:

Three ways in which we present,

By now you know what I mean

We are talking news content.

 

Nobody and no body

Appear in the news quite often

And they are easier to distinguish

When either one is written.

 

When the police arrived

There was no body at the scene,

Nobody had any information

Re where the body had been.

 

Pretend to be an announcer

And read the verse before,

In order to indicate the distinction

Intonation must be at the fore.

 

Video is just as impossible

If you catch what I really mean,

Try showing nobody or no body

At a murder scene.

“Nobody was at home”

No problem deciphering that

But change it to no body

And you have a case to crack.

 

So, when you read this poem

Be prepared to intone,

Especially if you are reading aloud

And people are in your zone.

 

Otherwise it would be confusing

These bodies to differentiate,

Between a nobody and no body

Let there be no mistake.

 

Even with nobody alone

One must be very careful,

For if the indefinite article goes before

That speaks of certain people.

 

 

 

Nobody, let me quickly state,

Likes being called a nobody

Since a nobody is a type of person

Nobody thinks of seriously.

 

So, be aware of these nuances

That can at times cause trouble,

Intonation makes a lot of difference

And also, the indefinite article.

 

Stewart Russell © November 10, 2021