Someone asked me today if they could ask me the question of the day, that question he already knew the answer to and that question he was sure I knew which one. I couldn’t help myself. I said: if you will allow me, I will answer that question without ever having seen the question. This question has been hermetically sealed and kept in a mayonnaise jar on funk and wagnall’s doorstep since noon today…”
He was probably too young to get that reference but we both had a good laugh about it. And I did answer no to the question that went unspoken for the entire phone call. I suggested he could google “funk and wagnall’s doorstep”. I did that and found it should have been “porch” according to wikipedia. I remain unconvinced about that. Regardless, it means I owe you some haiku.
amusing the world
joking with the universe
speaking the unknown.
none knows the question
being hermetically sealed
mason jar since noon.
funk and wagnall kept
a special mayonnaise jar
for life’s big questions
the magnificent
mighty all-knowing carnac
gives just the answers
he, saying answer,
opens the sealed envelope
revealing question.
