Frosty the Philman
In response to ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas published in the Maple Leaf on Dec. 16. (Sung to the tune of Frosty the Snowman)
Frosty the Philman
Was a grouchy, surly soul
With an attitude and a baneful plan
And a heart made out of coal.
Oh Frosty the Philman
Was obnoxious as could be.
And the people say, “That’s ENOUGH! OK?!”
And he’s lonely. Yes siree!
There must have been a Black Knight in
That old school that he crowns.
For when they placed it in the West
He began to “twitch” around!
Oh Frosty the Philman
Had to hurry up the hill
To gripe out loud to every crowd
To be sure, they CRINGED him still.
School taxes dropped substantially
In that burg right away.
“I’ll go to the town meetings
And rebuke these choices made!”
Oh Frosty the Philman
Is a nay sayer, they say.
With fervent posts and thus, he ran
But lost his votes that day.
There must have been some magic in
Those ugly words he’d say.
He ran to be included then—
Just WOW! Got blown away!
Oh Frosty the Philman
How happy he would be
If he only knew what the town could do
When we all TRUST and AGREE.
Merry Christmas to all!
Terry Schneider
Russell Township
Safe to be Unpopular
“T’was the Night Before Christmas,” by Phil Paradise Jr. Dec. 16, is very perspicacious. Definitely Poet Laureate in residence of Geauga County. Reasons: Describes Salmon Rushdie: A poet’s work is to name the unnameable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep.
The satirist Voltaire took great pleasure and enjoyment from ridiculing, bewailing, mocking and scorning the absurdities of human behavior and attitudes, especially politics.
As Adlai Stevenson said in his speech in Detroit (1952): What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist. A free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.
David Hancock
Chester Township
