Monday, September 30, 2013

Monday's Poetry: Playing Rough with "Green Eggs and Ham"

by Pa Rock
Non-Essential Government Employee

William Rivers Pitt, my favorite political writer bar none, had a great piece at Truthout.org this week in which he eviscerated Senator Ted Cruz over the lame use of Dr. Seuss's wonderful "Green Eggs and Ham" during the senator's faux filibuster a couple of days ago.

Calgary Cruz said, in part:

"Americans did not like green eggs and ham,
and they did not like Obamacare either.
They did not like Obamacare in a box, with a fox,
in a house, with a mouse."

That's pretty heavy versification for a lightweight like Cruz.

In his article on the antics of the Texas blowhard, Mr. Pitt noted that the senator missed the entire point of the famous children's book - a point that is grasped by many four-year-olds.   This is the lesson that Dr. Seuss was teaching to young children:   How do you know you don't like something if you have never tried it?  

How indeed?

That lesson sailed right over the head of the junior senator from Texas.

U.S. Representative Jared Polis (D, CO) penned the following short, untitled verse in response to Calgary Cruz's mangling of the Dr. Seuss classic:

"I do no like it when Obamacare 
he tries to ram,
Or says to breast cancer survivors
'sorry ma'am.'
I do not like Ted Cruz reading
'Green Eggs and Ham,'
And shutting down government 
Without giving a damn.

Somehow I think if the good Dr. Seuss had been around to suffer the rewrites of politicians, he would have looked upon the work of Congressman Polis with far more favor than that of Senator Cruz.

1 comment:

Xobekim said...

The senior Senator from Missouri was quick to note the inapposite use of Green Eggs and Ham by the junior Senator from Texas.

Speaking of Ted, he was celebrating his 15 minutes of fame at a Hooters Restaurant when his expense account credit card, a MasterCard, was declined. He was furious if reports are correct.