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Y/N that one made me weirdly uncomfortable. Was the narrator afraid to leave prison? Was it a case of the prisoner preferring incarceration to freedom? Or was it more like The Allegory of the Cave? Tailor, I was getting a Doors of Perception vibe from that one, only without the psychedelics.
https://youtu.be/BqjdKWEV7eM?si=LF5UffjlvrhqOPee
There once was a thinker named Plato
Who dined on a big red tomato
He thought of a slave
Who was stuck in a cave
He then went to fetch some more mayo
Huxley https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Doors_of_Perception Interesting vibe. Great vid of "Break on Through" that I hadn't seen before... became a fan of the Doors music at the get go. Now that I reflect I've experienced many through the threshold moments... the most momentous having to do with leaving Seattle as a child and then returning home on a bus from Maple Valley after the passing of my Mother; crossing the bridge going into Portland with a double rainbow outside the window... a feeling of leaving reality, or some such. I still may be trying to find my way after all these years.
Lol, not sure what to make of Plato... Here's Google AI:Genius :)Quote:
That limerick cleverly combines elements from Plato's famous Allegory of the Cave (prisoners seeing shadows, the journey out to light/truth) with a humorous, mundane twist (needing more mayonnaise!), highlighting how Plato's thought experiment from The Republic illustrates the difference between mere perception (shadows) and true knowledge (the outside world), and the philosopher's difficult role in guiding others toward reality.
Here's the philosophical breakdown of the limerick's references:
"Plato" & "a slave / Who was stuck in a cave": This directly references the core story where prisoners, chained since birth, mistake shadows on a wall for reality.
"He thought of a slave / Who was stuck in a cave": This is the philosopher's (Socrates in the dialogue) contemplation of people living in ignorance, mistaking appearances for truth.
"dined on a big red tomato" & "fetch some more mayo": These mundane, modern additions provide a comical contrast, emphasizing the gap between profound philosophical concepts and everyday life, or perhaps humorously suggesting even philosophers get hungry!.
The Allegory's Meaning:
The Cave: Represents the world of sensory experience and illusion.
The Shadows: The limited understanding or beliefs people hold as truth.
The Escapee: The philosopher who journeys out into the light (true knowledge).
The Sun: Represents the ultimate Form of the Good, true understanding.
The Return: The philosopher's duty to return and enlighten others, despite the difficulty and potential hostility.
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Speaking of philosophers:
There once was a chap named Blaise Pascale
Whose adding machine presaged Hal
I’m sorry, Dave
You, I won’t save
Said Dave, “Open the pod bay doors, you shall”
https://youtube.com/shorts/97fz8S5K1...PpIEfa846zl3JA
Oh man. A.I. may have us on the precipice of a vast sea of sh…
But not yet. There’s still time. Google A.I. got it mostly right, but missed the main point, which was: What if a plump red tomato was the impetus behind the Allegory of the Cave. Plato sees and tastes the beautiful fruit and then imagines a world were there are only shades of gray.
Uhh, either that or I just couldn’t think of too many words that rhyme with Plato.
BP... enjoyed :)
"I think you know what the problem is just as well as I do..." :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_iorkS9Lh4
Lol... the tomato is well thought out AND it rhymes with Plato... as I said: Genius :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Haha. We’re on the precipice of a vast sea of sh…aving cream.
I like the meter of that Sam McGee poem, Sancho. That is a very interesting door and perspectives do change passing through any door, Tailor.
Esther offers "curl" for this week's limerick: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/01/...-limerick-265/
Well, I don't think I have much to say
about curls that girls display.
When each curl is true,
then the girl is, too -
so I thought - and still do - come what may.
Enjoyed :) Very optimistic thoughts on the virtue of women.
Curl Those Biceps Mon
Angus just didn't get the idea of curling
a stone set in motion with nary a whirling
on ice no less for a foundation
then brooms!!! what an abomination !
seems it lacks of Highland bagpipes skirling
1/5/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
I gotta say, Y/N, I've been looking forward to Esther’s limerick prompts on Mondays. Looks like the three of us have chosen a different meaning of the word curl.
Cowabunga!
Big Wave Dave sat on his board waiting
The size of the surf frustrating
He wanted a curl
But got an eddy swirl
The swells it seemed were abating
That's a bummer, man.
Dude!
Duuuude…
Lol !
Dude. Dude! Dude? Duuuude?
here in Cali 'dude' is a most ubiquitous word
interjection, adjective, and adverb I've heard
also noun and verb - 'tis not a trite affectation
merely change your inflection
so use 'dude' most liberally and undeterred
1/6/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Dude!?
Few appellations have the versatility of "Dude." That limerick was clearly written by an expert of dudeology. Do you remember this comedy bit from the 90s? Rob Schneider on dudeness:
https://youtube.com/shorts/zEVcLS0E2...j0SrAdKX1daFyu
Here, pointing out a regional difference, is Sam Elliot as The Stranger in The Big Lebowski:
I grew up in the American South. We used Bubba sort of like Californians use Dude. Yo Bubba. Whoa Bubba. Damn Bubba. Aww Bubba. Also there’s the 2nd person collective — All Y'all Bubbas. And who can forget the movie version of Gus Grissom in The Right Stuff — F**kin’ A Bubba.Quote:
Dude. Now there's a name no one would self-apply where I come from.
There once was fella named Bubba
Seen a girl and said “hubba-hubba”
Went in to kiss her
But it was his sister
Kinship no matter to such a lovah
Yikes!
Might have something to do with that recessive gene that pops up in them hills every couple of generations.
Lol... enjoyed Rob's take... I may have heard it anciently :)
Bubba, lol. Reminds me of Bubba's soliloquy regarding shrimp... https://www.google.com/search?client..._LHYe2JaM,st:0
Driftwood
"If your family tree does not fork, you might just be a redneck" - Jeff Foxworthy
A family tree that doesn't fork much at all
in royal bloodlines and some southern's drawl
and other regional milieus where it's extolled
is rarely brought up in polite company, left untold
and that's just the tip of the crux of it, all y'all
1/7/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Ya know, I usually read the book and then take a pass on the movie. With Forrest Gump I saw the movie and then never got around to reading the book. But I’ve got some questions. Maybe if I read the book I’ll get some answers. For instance, Benjamin Buford Blue’s nickname:
“My given name is Benjamin Buford Blue, but people call me Bubba. Jess like one of them ole redneck boys. Can you bleve dat?”
To my ear Bubba speaks in a rural southern white accent, which is distinct from a rural southern black accent. I wonder if that was on purpose on the part of the director. I’m not sure what Tom Hanks is going for. Maybe it’s a Gulf Coast thing. Southern accents are always morphing and seem to be going away, or at least flattening out, but they never were all one thing or another. From Richmond to New Orleans there are huge variations.
Interesting observation... too much nuance for me to discern. I might just venture a look-see through the book as well :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
It is amazing how many meanings the word "curl" can have. Also nice Bubba/redneck limericks.
Esther offers "farm" for this week's limerick: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/01/...-limerick-266/
There's a farm in the valley that's fine.
You can buy there fresh veggies and wine.
There are eggs there as well.
Though some critters may smell,
when there's sun, then the sun loves to shine.
Enjoyed :)
Driving Anxiety
it seems pfarmicopeia is my last resort
it's not like I want to caper and cavort
for driving used to be such a pleasure
touring seasides and mountains at leisure
alas no joy yet on that front I must report
1/12/2026 r. 1/15/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Y/N I know of place like the one you describe. Oddly enough it’s near where I think Tailor lives. Hooverville Orchards, Placerville, CA. We stopped there last summer. It wasn’t too busy so we must’ve stood there an hour or two chatting with the couple who owned it. She was from there and he was from up around here somewheres. Anyway it was a cool place. They had pies. It was a cornucopia if not a pfarmicopeia.
So I’m trying to answer the age-old question of which came first…
Gals in the henhouse mainly stayed in
So Leghorn Rooster suavely weighed in
He had some charm
Down on the farm
“Ah say, hello there my little barnyard maiden”
As it turns out, a fast-talking rooster named Foghorn Leghorn came before the chicken or the egg.
Hooverville Orchards is not too far away... over the river and through the woods via the California Gold Discovery site highway 49... Alexa says 5.5 miles (8.9 km) away but i believe it's a bit longer the way I have to drive through the twisty hills, heck it's 4 miles (6.4 km) to 7/11 and that's before the steep Marshall grade down into Coloma where the river is, then up through the winding hills of HWY 49 to get there... I'd guestimate 8-10 miles or so. Been there; a nice place to visit :)
Lol limerick :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Okay, so I just read Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. And it did (sort of) answer my question about why Bubba talked like “one of them ole redneck boys.” In the book Bubba is a white dude, probably of Acadian descent. Anyway the book is a lot different than the movie. The characters are much edgier. The basic outline is there, but the whole premiss is different. The story is told by Forrest in his voice with all his linguistic quirks and Forrest is the archetypical unreliable narrator. It was fun to read.
There was a young soldier named Gump
Who got hisself shot in the rump
You’re a good man
Said Lieutenant Dan
But why you got to be such a chump
Lol... a million dollar wound if I recall, enjoyed :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
I’m kinda getting off topic for the thread, but I found Dan to be a compelling character in the book. Rather than coming from a long line of military men, Dan had been drafted:
Forrest doesn’t meet Dan until he is recovering in the hospital in Danang. Dan has been “blowed up in a tank” and is in the bed next to him. Dan and Forrest have long conversations and Dan explains his philosophy to Forrest. His philosophy has to do with finding how you best fit into a world that is governed by natural laws. Forrest takes it to heart and that is what propels him through the rest of the book.Quote:
Dan come from the state of Connecticut, an he were a teacher of history when they grapped him up an thowed him into the Army. But cause he was smart, they sent him to officer school an made him a lieutenant.
Dan’s philosophy however is continually changing. Years later Forrest bumps into Dan on the streets of Savannah, Georgia. Dan is what Nelson Algren would call a “halfy.” He’s not in a wheelchair. He’s on a wheeled platform. Forrest is with an orangutan named Sue (don’t ask). It’s pouring rain and Dan is under a trash bag shining the shoes of a businessman. Forrest yanks the bag off to see if it’s really Dan. Here’s the exchange:
Quote:
“Gimme that bag back you big oaf,” Dan say, “I’m gettin soakin wet out here.”
Then he saw Sue. “So you finally got married, huh?” Dan say.
“It’s a he,” I tole him. “You remember—from when I went to space.”
“You gonna shine my shoes, or what?” say the feller in the suit.
“F*ck off,” Dan says, “before I chew your soles in half.”
The feller, he walked away.
“What you doin here, Dan?” I axed.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” he say. “I’ve become a Communist.”
“You mean like them we was fightin in the war?” I axed.
“Nah,” says he, “them was gook Communists. I’m a real Communist—Marx, Lennin, Trotsky—all that bullsh*t.”
“Then what you shinin shoes for?” I say.
“To shame the imperialist lackeys,” he answers. “The way I got it figured, nobody with shined shoes is worth a sh*t, so the more shoes I shine, the more I’ll send to hell in a handbasket.”
“Well, if you say so,” I says, an then Dan thowed down his rag an wheel himself back under the awnin to git outta the rain.
“Awe hell, Forrest, I ain’t no damned Communist,” he say, “They wouldn’t want nobody like me anyhow, way I am.”
“Sure they would, Dan,” I says, “You always tole me I could be anythin I wanted to be an do anythin I want to do—an so can you.”
“You still believin that sh*t?” he axed.
“I got to see Raquel Welch butt neckit,” I says.
“Really?” Dan say, “what was it like?”
LOL ! I have to find that book :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
I have a very vague remembrance of the movie, but liked the dialogue.
Sure, I think you might like it, Tailor. You too, Danik. It’s a quick, fun read. I read it in two or three sittings. That said I can’t help but to notice the book gets a lot of hate online. Mostly I think it’s people who’ve watched the movie and then go to the book to get more of the movie but are disappointed when Forrest doesn’t much look or act like Tom Hanks. Ah well, for what it’s worth, Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump gets El Sancho’s stamp of approval.
Gona look for that book sometimes, Sancho. Always love your posts about books.
Thanks Danik. I like reading your opinions on books as well. You seem to have read all the classics. I’m still trying to catch up.
That was great dialog from Winston Groom’s Forrest Gump, Sancho. I'm going to have to read the book as well. I must have seen the movie but forgot it.
Good point that Foghorn Leghorn must have come before either the chicken or the egg.
I love the sound of the phrase "over the river and through the woods". I am going to have to remember to use it when giving directions, Tailor.
This week Esther offers "crime" to be used in a limerick: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/01/...-limerick-267/
Though some thought that it should be a crime
and it was, more or less, for the time
when dark poems with words
like loud ravenous birds
made no sense and much worse didn't rhyme.
Bravo on your limerick YesNo... especially the last 3-lines :) Need to ponder a bit, and will return :)
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Haha. Agreed. If to rhyme was a crime, I’d be interrogated then incarcerated.
Okay, so it seems like all my limericks are in the voice of Foghorn Leghorn nowadays:
Ah say, this she-ah institution is peculiar!
The maid went for a bucket of bleach
After The Crime Against Kansas Speech
The senate floor
All covered in gore
Some guy thought he’d a lesson to teach
Lol...
A Petty Crime
I had a boss, an ex-professional bowler
of the tenpins persuasion, a high roller
bowled pot games, a petty gambling crime
we at times indulged in after closing time
when he lost a wager became quite bipolar
1/19/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Polly Syllabic - Want a Cracker ?
Milburn Pennybags has no monopoly on irredentism
to many inspired by the game it's no anachronism
Machiavelli foretold it
and I submit
kerfuffles abound whilst the world eschews schism
1/23/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Good one Tailor. I never knew that guy had a name. I bet he hangs out with Eustace Tilly.
A fellow once made a proclamation
Involving territorial annexation
Caused a great schism
And public activism
And threatened a global conflagration
So it goes when people assume Machiavelli is no longer relevant.
Enjoyed :) Eustace Tilly: a history up to 8/31/2017... https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...2&opi=89978449
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Nice limericks. That "Polly Syllabic - Want a Cracker?" title was perfect, Tailor. I like the voice of Foghorn Leghorn, Sancho.
This week Esther offers "night" to be used in a limerick: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/01/...-limerick-268/
Light and Night Rhymes with Fright
Though the light said it's day, it was night.
I could see. What a horrible sight!
There were monsters out there.
There were goons everywhere,
but in peace I slept on through their fright.
Thanx :)
Perhaps channeling MystyrMystyry... Enjoyed :)
Tinky III
As black as night he reposes sweetly
Nose and whiskers may flinch fleetingly
Perhaps a stir from tail or paw
He melts my heart with loving awe
My cat, my companion, my glee
1/26/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Nice poem of joy for your cat, Tailor! They are amazing creatures. I am glad they like, more or less, being around us.
Esther offers "calm" for this week's limerick: https://estherchilton.co.uk/2026/02/...-limerick-269/
Crazy Or Calm
"Are you crazy?" Not yet. I'm just calm
like a rash that is itching for balm
like a thought I won't think
like a word with a wink
like a heart beating true in your palm.
"like a word with a wink"... Enjoyed :)
calm
serene cool pond
night reflections from beyond
a mirrored universe
worthy of written verse
as such our sacred bond
2/2/2026
Ta ! (short for tarradiddle),
tailor
Gonna try again to see if I’m still banned:
There was an old sea dog, Muldoon
Who raced to beat a typhoon
Was calm as a clam
‘Cos he had a plan
Grinned at fate and laughed like a loon
(Sort of a high-pitched warbling laugh of I know bird song)
Woo-hoo