Proverbial Ballade by Wendy Cope 

Fine words won't turn the icing pink;
A wild rose has no employees;
Who boils his socks will make them shrink;
Who catches cold is sure to sneeze.
Who has two legs must wash his knees;
Who breaks the egg will find the yolk;
Who locks his door will need his keys—
So say I and so say the folk.

You can't shave with a tiddlywinks,
Nor make red wine from garden peas,
Nor show a blindworm how to blink,
Nor teach an old raccoon Chinese.
The juiciest orange feels the squeeze;
Who spends his portion will be broke;
Who has no milk can make no cheese—
So say I and so say the folk.

He makes no blot who has no ink,
Nor gathers honey who keeps no bees.
The ship that does not float will sink;
Who'd travel far must cross the seas.
Lone wolves are seldom seen in threes;
A conker ne'er becomes an oak;
Rome wasn't built by chimpanzees—
So say I and so say the folk.

Envoi

Dear friends! If adages like these
Should seem banal, or just a joke,
Remember fish don't grow on trees—
So say I and so say the folk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Common sense is so hard to come by these days....

~JP
  • Anywhere I want. All I have to do is close my eyes...
  • JoinedAugust 2, 2012

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JohnPie JohnPie Dec 18, 2012 11:12PM
@schninket Thanks! He makes a great old man, no? :) 
I agree, we need to chat soon! Hopefully I'll be online more during Christmas break so we can cyber bump into each other. 
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