It makes the reader wonder, at least it does me, why it is easier to be kind to animals than to one another or even ourselves. This poem, simply, closes that loop. ❤️
Love the universality of this. It's a story any of us could likely tell, but could any of us tell it with this perfect amount of musicality and detail?
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind."
Nearly did this with a cat once (it got away safely without injury). It's always a good idea to check under a lawnmower first before using it. Unusual topic for a poem but, then again, why not?
Tender, delicate, careful, often cynical, usually under-valued Philip L:arkin!--how good to see this poem here! Anybody else would have made a sentimental hash of this disturbing incident. Whatever his subject, Larkin always quietly enlarges it!
"The fox knows many things. The hedgehog knows one big thing" - Archilochus
I thought it was Aesop, but anyway, Larkin decrypts the ancient line in a quiet, moving way. Thanks for posting these classics in OPD.
It makes the reader wonder, at least it does me, why it is easier to be kind to animals than to one another or even ourselves. This poem, simply, closes that loop. ❤️
Love the universality of this. It's a story any of us could likely tell, but could any of us tell it with this perfect amount of musicality and detail?
"Hello babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. On the outside, babies, you've got a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies-"God damn it, you've got to be kind."
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Nearly did this with a cat once (it got away safely without injury). It's always a good idea to check under a lawnmower first before using it. Unusual topic for a poem but, then again, why not?
❤️🫶🏼❤️🙏🏼
Yes, while there is still time.
quiet, understated, unforgettable. I’m gonna be a kinder person today than I would have before reading this poem. I might just read it every day.
Tender, delicate, careful, often cynical, usually under-valued Philip L:arkin!--how good to see this poem here! Anybody else would have made a sentimental hash of this disturbing incident. Whatever his subject, Larkin always quietly enlarges it!