METHUSELAH

Methuselah lived long ago —

He was the Old Inhabitant

Those times, but never had a show;

His opportunities were scant.

Although he lived nine centuries

And three-score years and nine beside,

The times he saw were not like these,

A chance to spread he was denied.

He could not seek the corner store

And lunch on crackers, cheese and prunes,

And there display his helpful lore

Through mornings and through afternoons;

He could not talk about the days

When folks first saw the telegraph

Or telephone; how their amaze

Made better posted people laugh.

He could not take the stranger out

To some tall building, then say: “Here,

An’ for a good ways hereabout,

I used to shoot the bear and deer.”

Skyscrapers were an unknown thing,

Excepting Babel, in his land,

And Babel only served to bring

Speech that he could not understand.

( Perhaps this Babel item is

Anachronistic; as to that

We'll say one pleasant thing was his:

He never had to rent a flat. )

Another joy in his career

Was this: nobody ever told

Methuselah the stated year

When he should be considered old.

At thirty-five he was not barred

From working if he wanted to;

He did not need a union card

His daily labors to pursue;

And when his hair was snowy white

And age his manly form had bent,

Nobody called him young and bright

And ran him for vice-president.