Follow this argument
With a critical mind
And of course, this would be
If you have the time.
No one and nobody
Synonyms perhaps?
But can you picture either
As a tangible fact?
No one or nobody
What does it matter?
It could be the former
Or even the latter.
Did you see no one
Or did you see nobody?
When you arrived there
Did you look for me?
When I arrived there
I saw no one
Meaning I saw nobody;
Everybody was gone.
Am I no one
And am I nobody?
Are you trying to tell me
You did not see me?
I did not see you
So, you were not there,
I am sure no one or nobody
Ever appeared.
You can’t see no one
And you can’t see nobody
And that is the reason why
You didn’t see me.
How does no one look
Or for that matter, nobody?
Right now, for example,
You can see me.
Next time you see no one
Or you see nobody,
Take a picture with your phone
And let me see.
If you can do this
You would convince me
That it is actually possible
To see nobody.
I cannot do that
You know it’s not possible
Even if the camera
Were ultra-reliable.
This was an argument
Between two friends
And for a moment I thought
It would never end.
But we say things daily
That to us make some sense
Though not absolutely so,
Please, no offense.
It aids communication
Though not an actual fact,
Seeing no one or nobody
Is a case like that.
“I saw no one”
I’m sure you’ve said that
Or, “I saw nobody”;
This too is a fact.
Don’t fret yourself
If it happened to you,
Like me, you are weird-
Admit this is true.
It takes a weird mind
To have a weird thought
And so, it was from a weirdo
This one was brought.
Stewart Russell © June 10, 2024
