All For the Want of a Better Excuse

Inspired by the Nursery Rhyme: "For Want of a Nail"
http://www.rhymes.org.uk/



All For the Want of a Better Excuse

For want of some glue the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the walk was lost.
For want of a walk the health was lost.
For want of good health, insurance was lost.
For want of insurance, the house was lost.
For want of a house, the children were lost.
For want of children, the parents were lost.
All for want of cash spare shoes would have cost.

But what of the exercise we did not choose?
What of the extra weight we didn’t lose?
And what of the pre-existing illnesses ruse?
And sub-prime loans and credit card abuse?
And what are disillusioned young children to do
when their parents and Congress still have not a clue?
No wonder the want of a spare pair of shoes.
No wonder the hunger for a better excuse.


SWPoet
16 Lines

Disclaimer:
This is NOT a satire against those of us struggling to keep a job and put food on the table, though we too have
to bear some of the blame for our own circumstances as well as some of the cost in rectifying them.
I didn't want to offend folks out there in this currently not so terrific economy.
This is more a statement about our collective society, government, educational system, and welfare system who,
as "agencies/governments" find it easier to blame the "little people" for lousy money management then to take a good
look at what destructive chain of events tend to occur when we "tweak" something in the financial or health insurance market.
As we all know, one thing can lead to another and then another and so on and we don't always get what started it all.
But then, a huge population sits jobless with their homes in foreclosure and on the news, the have to hear the "powers that be"
scratch their heads wondering why folks can't be more responsible with their money or why they can't afford a car
to get to their job now that the bus services have been cut from the county budget and their insurance premiums just went up again
(if they're lucky enough to still be working or have insurance. Gee, no wonder folks can't afford a simple pair of spare shoes.
This is, I guess, a nursery rhyme about the "Butterfly Effect". 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect
According to wikipedia, The butterfly effect is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence
on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely, a small change at one place in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.


Reference:
Original Nursery Rhyme and history
from website: http://www.rhymes.org.uk/for_want_of_a_nail.htm
For want of a Nail Rhyme
"For want of a nail" Nursery Rhyme & History

For want of a nail - rhyme
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

A clever set of lyrics in "For want of a nail" encouraging children to apply logical progression to the consequences of their actions. "For want of a nail" is often used to gently chastise a child whilst explaining the possible events that may follow a thoughtless act.

The History of Obligatory Archery Practise!
The references to horses, riders, kingdoms and battles in "For want of a nail" indicate the English origins of the rhyme. One of the English Kings did not leave anything to chance! In 1363, to ensure the continued safety of the realm, King Edward III commanded the obligatory practice of archery on Sundays and holidays! The earliest known written version of the rhyme is in John Gower's " Confesio Amantis dated approximately 1390.

"For want of a nail" American usage
Benjamin Franklin included a version of the rhyme in his Poor Richard's Almanack when America and England were on opposite sides.

During World War II, this verse was framed and hung on the wall of the Anglo-American Supply Headquarters in London, England.