ANITA BIRT - WEAVER OF TALES

ODE TO St. Patrick

By Anita Birt

There once was a boy named Patrick

Who lived most of his life in an attic.

On a bright summer day

He went out to play

Saw a snake in the grass and smashed it.

Patrick puffed up his chest

And said loud and clear

“I’ll kill all the snakes in less than a year.”

He set out on his task

With a bat and an axe

And killed all the snakes

Without shedding a tear.

While he was away for a year and a day

The slugs and the snails and various bugs

Ate up the crops

With nothing to stop them.

“Bring back the snakes,” hungry people cried

“We need potatoes to bake potato pies.”

They chased Patrick back to his home in the attic

Where he sat with his head in his hands.

“I’ll do better next time,”

He said to himself.

“I’ll pray for the people.

I’ll build a church with a steeple

And God will take care of the rest.”

Moral: Beware of Unintended Consequences.