Red Shoes
She danced and was obliged to go on dancing …
—Hans Christian Andersen, "The Red Shoes"
Like Argus I wish I had a thousand eyes,
and a zillion extra hours in which to see.
It’s aggravating when I realize
that all the shows I’m missing on TV
could be taped—recorded, anyway—
but finding time to watch one, or the next
hundreds of programs unwatched every day—
pro sports, home cooking, celebrity game shows, sex—
is dancing to yet another ersatz tune,
saying nothing of deciding where to start
waltzing on some wasted afternoon.
You who dither and procrastinate, take heart:
for all the “entertainment” on the air
will surely be available Down There.
—F. J. Bergmann, Poynette, WI
