Reply To: Oh dear – not quite right – again!

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Hope this is allowed… A poem from the excellent Brian Bilston.

Rob
Heinous Deficiencies
A Statement from The Decaffeinated Protein Surveillance Society (Atheist Branch)

I before E except after C
is one of those weird and ancient rules
to which beige obeisance gets paid
when you’re at school

but it’s time it reigned no longer,
the rule being of little use –
it’s counterfeit, a sleight of hand,
and only serves to veil the truth.

The phrase makes us feel all ogreish,
a different species altogether,
for its heinous deficiencies
forfeit a life of leisure.

Surely a rule that’s conscientious
should therein bear its weight.
Yes, a few exceptions can reinforce
but not eight hundred and eight.

Sorry to inveigh so feistily
and deign to perpetrate this heist
but let’s seize the day (and cease this phrase) –
it’s time to get with the zeitgeist.