everyone should have a hobby
i always try to neatly break my eggshells in half...i like the way they nest together
and it's very satisfying when the shells are all nestled together like lovely thin porcelain cups.
ben: "why do you always nestle the eggshells together so neatly?"
me: "because they're so lovely and i like the sound they make when they touch. have you never heard the superstition about crushing eggshells?"
ben: "?"
me: "there's an old superstition that you should always crush your eggshells, lest witches should sail in them."
ben: "?"
me: "there's even a poem by elizabeth fleming from 1934 about witches sailing in eggshells and wreaking havoc for ancient mariners."
ben: "oh. wow. ok."
me: "well...everyone should have a hobby."
EGG-SHELLS
By Elizabeth Fleming
Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;
Think of us poor sailor- men and always smash them up,
For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,
And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.
They take them to the sea-shore and set them on the tide-
A broom-stick for a paddle is all they have to guide-
And off they go to China or round the ports of Spain,
To try and keep our sailing ships from coming home again.
They call up all the tempests from Davy Jones's store,
And blow us into waters where we haven't been before;
And when the masts are falling in splinters on the wrecks,
The witches climb the rigging ropes and dance upon the decks.
So never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;
Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up;
For witches come and find them and sail away to sea.
And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.
and it's very satisfying when the shells are all nestled together like lovely thin porcelain cups.
ben: "why do you always nestle the eggshells together so neatly?"
me: "because they're so lovely and i like the sound they make when they touch. have you never heard the superstition about crushing eggshells?"
ben: "?"
me: "there's an old superstition that you should always crush your eggshells, lest witches should sail in them."
ben: "?"
me: "there's even a poem by elizabeth fleming from 1934 about witches sailing in eggshells and wreaking havoc for ancient mariners."
ben: "oh. wow. ok."
me: "well...everyone should have a hobby."
EGG-SHELLS
By Elizabeth Fleming
Oh, never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;
Think of us poor sailor- men and always smash them up,
For witches come and find them and sail away to sea,
And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.
They take them to the sea-shore and set them on the tide-
A broom-stick for a paddle is all they have to guide-
And off they go to China or round the ports of Spain,
To try and keep our sailing ships from coming home again.
They call up all the tempests from Davy Jones's store,
And blow us into waters where we haven't been before;
And when the masts are falling in splinters on the wrecks,
The witches climb the rigging ropes and dance upon the decks.
So never leave your egg-shells unbroken in the cup;
Think of us poor sailor-men and always smash them up;
For witches come and find them and sail away to sea.
And make a lot of misery for mariners like me.
posted by tbot at 8:01 AM
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