...O Potatoes, come and walk with us!'
I sweetly did beseech.
A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk, .....
...And then I rested on a seat
Conveniently low:
And all the little Potatoes stood
And waited in a row.....
.....Now if you're ready, Potatoes dear,
We can begin to feed....
I noticed, in passing, that the leafy stalky bits of my potato plants were all dying, so took a chance and emptied the first of my three potato tubs.
There were several handfuls of darling little potatoes buried in all that crumbly earth.
It seems indecent to eat them; they are so small and cute. But what else can one do with them?
So, with the poem of the Walrus and the Carpenter echoing uneasily in my mind, I tenderly washed them, and carefully deposited them into a pan of boiling water. It just doesn't seem quite right.
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| pictures from wikipedia |
The Walrus and the Carpenter
"The sun was shining on the
sea,
Shining with all his
might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and
bright —
And this was odd, because it
was
The middle of the night.
The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the
sun
Had got no business to be
there
After the day was done —
"It's very rude of him," she
said,
"To come and spoil the
fun."
The sea was wet as wet could
be,
The sands were dry as
dry.
You could not see a cloud,
because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead
—
There were no birds to
fly.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at
hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
If this were only cleared
away,'
They said, it
would be grand!'
If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a
year,
Do you suppose,' the Walrus
said,
That they could get it
clear?'
I doubt it,' said the
Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.
O Oysters, come and walk with
us!'
The Walrus did beseech.
A pleasant walk, a pleasant
talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than
four,
To give a hand to each.'
The eldest Oyster looked at
him,
But never a word he
said:
The eldest Oyster winked his
eye,
And shook his heavy head
—
Meaning to say he did not
choose
To leave the oyster-bed.
But four young Oysters hurried
up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed,
their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean
and neat —
And this was odd, because, you
know,
They hadn't any feet.
Four other Oysters followed
them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came
at last,
And more, and more, and
more —
All hopping through the frothy
waves,
And scrambling to the
shore.
The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters
stood
And waited in a row.
The time has come,' the Walrus
said,
To talk of many things:
Of shoes — and ships — and
sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings
—
And why the sea is boiling hot
—
And whether pigs have
wings.'
But wait a bit,' the Oysters
cried,
Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of
breath,
And all of us are fat!'
No hurry!' said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much
for that.
A loaf of bread,' the Walrus
said,
Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed —
Now if you're ready, Oysters
dear,
We can begin to feed.'
But not on us!' the Oysters
cried,
Turning a little blue.
After such kindness, that
would be
A dismal thing to do!'
The night is fine,' the Walrus
said.
Do you admire the view?
It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so
deaf —
I've had to ask you
twice!'
It seems a shame,' the Walrus
said,
To play them such a
trick,
After we've brought them out
so far,
And made them trot so
quick!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
The butter's spread too
thick!'
I weep for you,' the Walrus
said:
I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted
out
Those of the largest
size,
Holding his
pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming
eyes.
O Oysters,' said the
Carpenter,
You've had a pleasant
run!
Shall we be trotting home
again?'
But answer came there
none —
And this was scarcely odd,
because
They'd eaten every one."
