NOW that gardening time is here again (hurrah), Robert Frost has a cautionary tale for the wielders of garden implements.
The New England sage is in frivolous mood; his rhymes have their usual aplomb.
THE OBJECTION TO
BEING STEPPED ON
At the end of the row
I stepped on the toe
Of an unemployed hoe.
It rose in offense
And struck me a blow
In the seat of my sense.
It wasn't to blame
But I called it a name.
And I must say it dealt
Me a blow that I felt
Like malice prepense.
You may call me a fool,
But was there a rule
The weapon should be
Turned into a tool?
And what do we see?
The first tool I step on
Turned into a weapon.
malice prepense: intentional malice
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