A letter once came to a foolish wise man, Who sagely proceeded the missive to scan. He weighed it, he measured it, thought to explore The average slant of the letters it bore. A bit of the paper he cautiously took To a microscope lens for a sapient look. Dissolving the ink, by a chemical feat He made an analysis finely complete. Then he turned to the flap, and persistently sought To find from what country its gum had been brought. As thus he was busy with exigent task, His brother drew near him and ventured to ask: "You've a letter from father! And what does he say? I'm eager to hear it! What's in it, I pray?" Said the foolish wise man: "You are hasty, I fear. I shall not get to that point for more than a year!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: LAMBERT HUTCHINS by EDGAR LEE MASTERS SPRING BLIZZARD by JAMES GALVIN THE ORANGE PICKER by DAVID IGNATOW SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: AMOS SIBLEY by EDGAR LEE MASTERS MANOKWARI, IRIAN JAYA; IN MEMORIAM, ALFRED RUSSEL WALLACE by KAREN SWENSON |