the Pathetic Fallacy Reconsidered
The Pathetic Fallacy Revisited
I’ve seen near shore a sycophantic gull,
A cautious waiter at an osprey’s feast;
I’ve seen his cohorts find the beach too dull,
Their interest in the dumpsters much increased.
I’ve seen officious buzzards, robed in sable,
Convened pro tem at sudden death’s fruition,
A flattened armadillo as their table,
As well as corpus for their disquisition.
I’ve seen a gang of starlings raid a nest,
Then flee from those who’d loved the shattered egg;
I’ve seen them foul a copper hero’s crest,
And peck their brother who’d lost a leg . . .
And, Wordsworth, I must say with some despair
That I, like you, can see there’s pleasure there.
Republished with permission of "RE:AL," Austin State University, 2001
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