aefenglommung (aefenglommung) wrote,
aefenglommung
aefenglommung

I think I may have posted this before, but it bears re-posting

The Unknown Citizen

(TO JS/07/M/378
This Marble Monument
Is Erected by the State
)

He was found by the Bureau of Statistics to be
One against whom there was no official complaint,
And all the reports on his conduct agree
That in the modern sense of an old-fashioned word, he was a saint,
For in everything he did he served the Greater Community.
Except for the War till the day he retired
He worked in a factory and never got fired,
But satisfied his employers, Fudge Motors Inc.
Yet he wasn't a scab or odd in his views,
For his Union reports that he paid his dues,
(Our report on his Union shows it was sound)
And our Social Psychology workers found
That he was popular with his mates and liked a drink.
The Press are convinced that he bought a paper every day
And that his reactions to advertisements were normal in every way.
Policies taken out in his name prove that he was fully insured,
And his Health-card shows he was once in hospital but left it cured.
Both Producers Research and High-Grade Living declare
He was fully sensible to the advantages of the Installment Plan
And had everything necessary to Modern Man,
A phongraph, a radio, a car and a frigidaire.
Our researchers into Public Opinion are content
That he held proper opinions for the time of year;
When there was peace, he was for peace; when there was war, he went.
He was married and added five children to the population,
Which our Eugenist says was the right number for a parent of his generation,
And his teachers report that he never interfered with their education.
Was he free? Was he happy? The question is absurd:
Had anything been wrong, we should certainly have heard.
-- W.H. Auden
Subscribe

  • Taking one's own medicine

    Over a long and varied life in Scouting, I have somehow avoided taking Wood Badge, the top leadership course for Scouters. There are various reasons…

  • Your obscure English etymology of the day

    In the traditional English carol called "The Holy Well," the child Jesus attempts to play with some local children, who get all snooty about his low…

  • The Four Marks of the Church: Apostolicity

    We believe in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church --Nicene Creed, AD 325 In the Book of Acts, we see the apostles choosing a successor…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

    When you submit the form an invisible reCAPTCHA check will be performed.
    You must follow the Privacy Policy and Google Terms of use.
  • 1 comment