Namings
America

The “What–A–Good–Idea” Pilgrim Fathers
brought no wagon,
brought no wheelwright.

One exasperated lady
invented a working truck,
the “Mary Cart”.

Now, in this time,
‘Lingua Franca’
meant what it said.

Affected fools
morphed their speech to French,
sounding silent a word’s last consonant:

but not the end of Mary’s name
for she was young unmarried;
cracking shins for reputation.

So the words a Crown Inspector heard
on riding the colony’s Mary cart
were “er…this is a Mary car’.”





this archive is hosted by arts & ego
© 1978–2024 dylan harris   some rights reserved