Required: One Fool

 

 

Tell me what I need to hear

But do it in jest

Not what I want to hear;

That is not the best.

 

“A spoonful of sugar”

You know how the maxim ends,

“Makes the medicine go down

And does not offend.”

 

You would recall the jester:

A professional clown,

His job was to entertain the King

Who wore the crown.

 

Of course, he did it in a way

Hoping not to offend

For if he exposed the king

It could be his end.

 

He could call the king a fool

Once he acted the fool,

None would take him seriously

And all would be cool.

 

The king would understand

And act appropriately

And hopefully if all went right

Then all would be happy.

 

On the other hand,

If it did not go down right,

For some, including the jester,

Day could turn to night.

 

Listen to modern day comics

As they ply their craft,

They tell the truth in a way

To make one laugh.

 

But dig in a little deeper

And you would come to realize

A lot of truth can emerge

From a pseudo lie.

 

A truth that appears as a lie

Is truth nevertheless,

And if per chance, you are alert

You can pass the test.

 

 

In the “Emperor’s new clothes”

None dared to speak out,

But regarding the king’s nakedness

That child had no doubt.

 

The fool that I am speaking of

Is very witty and wise,

He knows how to deliver truth

Albeit, in disguised.

 

“A word to the wise”

If one’s faculty is not deficient

Will certainly hit the mark

And will also be sufficient.

 

“Every company needs a fool”

As seen in "The Barbados Today"

Not getting through in your quest,

This fool is the way.

 

Harbour people around you

Who will tell you the truth,

It is a great leadership ploy

And bears much proof.

 

Stewart Russell © June 10, 2023

 

The Man Who Heard His Obit

 

 

There was once a man

Who heard his own obit,

The experience was so profound

It made him think a bit.

 

His is a popular name

And it is sure to ring a bell

But you might see it differently

If it rings no bell.

 

Now how is it possible

For such a thing to happen?

Either he was not really dead

Or someone was mistaken.

 

Well, it so happened

That his brother had died,

Somehow their names got mixed-up

And a wrong name was applied.

 

 

One had invented dynamite

To the displeasure of many

And mistakenly this was the one

That heard his obituary.

 

What if I were to tell you

His surname is already given,

Can you tell me where in the poem

This man’s name is written?

 

I will give you another clue

But before I do that

Let me share with you my friend

Just one other fact.

 

Hearing his own obituary

He was extremely disturbed,

Nothing good was said about him

And in this many concurred.

 

 

Dynamite was dangerous

And could take many a life,

Why would anyone in his right mind

Create such a device?

 

Alfred decided there and then

To be seen in better light

And willed to a very good cause

His wealth from dynamite.

 

He created five awards

Which he established by a will

And even up to our present time

Those prizes are awarded still.

 

 

 

He had had much wealth

Accumulated from dynamite

And today innovator Alfred is held

In much better light.

 

Mistakenly hearing his obit

Really turned around his life

When in the eyes of his contemporaries

He had only created strife.

 

Dynamite was at first seen

As an instrument of strife

But his peace prize among the five

Must surely preserve life.

 

Stewart Russell © January 22, 2024

 

Doctors Practice Lawyers Too

 

 

Doctors practice medicine

And their practicing never stops

Except when like their patients

They too finally drop.

 

Seems to me we take a risk

When to the doctor we go,

Since they are always practicing,

What do they really know?

 

Be it a surgeon or physician

Practice is their thing,

At what point do they get real

And stop this rehearsing?

 

They get degree after degree

And still they practice medicine,

They practice on me and on you too

We all go out on a limb.

 

 

“Doctors practice medicine,”

A father once told his son,

“Don’t you ever go to one,”

And he was not making fun.

 

While doctors practice medicine

Lawyers have a law practice,

The difference lies in the parts of speech

But they too are a risk.

 

With both it must be a practice

Because we always have to go back,

Forwards and backwards we must go-

A dent in our pay pack.

 

Teachers don’t practice teaching

Postmen don’t have a postal practice,

They do what they have to do

With them it is not hit or miss.

  

But you’ll lie on a doctor’s bed

And he’ll knock and press and poke

And just for practicing medicine

He’ll demand of you some notes.

 

Lawyers are no different

They have a law practice,

But they see themselves as professionals

That will cleverly hit or miss.

 

 

Whether one or the other

You will still have to pay,

In order to sustain their law practice

That is their customary way.

 

It doesn’t matter their training

Neither the depth nor the height,

Practice is where they’re always at,

That certainly gives me a fright.

 

Please do not fault my spelling

I’ve been Americanized,

The English spelling is atrocious-

Their spelling I despise.

 

 

Noun and verb are different,

Why can’t they be the same?

They come over better with the ‘c’

‘The ‘s’ sounds a little lame.

 

But whether practice or practise

It’s what these professionals do,

Doctors practice medicine

But lawyers have a practice too.

 

If practice makes perfect

Why can’t they achieve perfection?

I promise to ask a doctor or lawyer-

One must answer my question.

 

Stewart Russell © October 26, 2020