The Goat

Ever been in a really miserable situation and you’re so uptight every nerve felt like it was on bust?  Suddenly something strange or just plain silly happens and it strikes you so so funny that you go off in peels of laughter.

The passerby will be afraid to approach you as they won’t have a clue how to handle it and may even think you need help. A casual acquaintance will automatically think you’ve totally lost it and try to avoid you, pretending they aren’t associated. A friend, on the other hand, will immediately see and understand the humour and join in.  It’s at this point that the nerve endings all start to reconnect. You see things more clearly and you’re able to get a grip on your world to once again flip it right side up.

Laughter has got to be one of the best tonics you can take.  Thankfully, my humour is kind of warped – which makes for a whole lot of fun whether in a crowd or all alone, talking to myself or reading.  Last month I was reading an old book that I love and found a poem (unknown author) that I had tucked away between the pages some years ago.  It made me laugh again as it is just as funny now as I was when I first placed it there.

The Goat

There was a man, now please take note,
There was a man, who had a goat.
He lov’d that goat, indeed he did
He lov’d that goat, just like a kid.

One day that goat felt frisk and fine,
Ate three red shirts from off the line.
The man just grabbed him by the back
And tied him to a railroad track.

But when the train hove into sight,
That goat grew pale and green with fright.
He heaved a sigh, as if in pain,
Coughed up those shirts and flagged the train.

~

Never mind the man who owns the goat. He needs a severe talking to for sure.  Instead it’s all about the situation. Now that goat has personality and gumption.  It reminds me of my sisters.

Who came to your mind as you read it, I wonder?