THE PATHETIC LITTLE TOWN

THE PATHETIC LITTLE TOWN

Once there was a tiny town
doomed never to succeed
The fundamental problem was
that no one there could read
And since they couldn't read,
of course, they couldn't write
They fed on "Foolish" ev'ry morning -
dined on "Dumb" at night

The newsboy there never cried,
"Extra! Read all about it!"
For in that town not one was found
who could read, don't you doubt it
In fact there was no newsboy,
or paper for him to sell
Since none in town could read or write,
they didn't fare so well:

"Hey, Larry, what's the news?"
"Gee, Mary, I don't know."
"Y'don't? Hmmm, me neither.
Well, um, gee...hmm - ok, gotta go."

They didn't know what was goin' on,
they didn't know how little they knew
They still talked about Columbus
and 1492!
But they had missed the next 500 years
'cause they couldn't read a lick
Doesn't it just about break your heart,
or might near make ya' sick?

No Christmas cards, no birthday cards -
there was no mail at all
No post office, no stationery store,
no print shop in the mall
No pens, no paper, no computers;
no notes were passed around
For no one there could read or write
...in that pathetic little town

Library shelves were empty,
they held not a single book
No bookstore, no newstand -
there was no need to look
No comics, no magazines,
nor even a recipe book
Th' pathetic little town jus' starved t'death -
for no one there knew how to cook!

Now this sad tale is almost totally true
Or may my shoes begin to bleed
The fact of the matter is - to Survive and be Successful
You need to read, and read and read!

(c) 1997 - Tom A.B. Taylor