Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Words of wisdom, c/o of the New York Metro Transit Authority

I was sitting on the bus recently when I absent-mindedly looked down at the back of my metro card and was quite (pleasantly) surprised to find this. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me to get over my poetry shyness.

What the fuck is a mandrake root*? They should just start folding up old metro cards and stuffing them inside fortune cookies. God knows there are enough Chinese restaurants in the city, and I'm sure they would all appreciate the free wisdom nuggets. And then in return the MTA could hand them out on the subways. Genius.

Plus, I would much rather read John Donne after consuming my sesame chicken than a poorly-constructed sentence telling me I will have "many years of long fortune."

Although it is true that I would welcome such a fortune, especially with the addition of the ever-popular "in bed" at the end.


*OMG. It's something scary. Click at your own risk.

12 comments:

  1. Lol http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrake_%28plant%29

    They're used in magical rituals for Wiccans, hmm is this poem something bad? =/

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  2. In the Harry Potter series, mandrake plants have the head of a baby and the loud cry will kill without ear plugs. The roots were used in potions.

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  3. lol! They use mandrake plants in movies like Harry Potter and Pan's Labyrinth.
    It's used to cure ailments.

    But I think that's awesome there's a poem on your metro card! Makes something mundane inspiring.

    WhereForArtThouRomeo

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  4. Now that's neat.. who would of thunk it of putting a poem on the back of a metro card!

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  6. that's cool that the metro cards have messages on them

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  7. In real life, mandrake roots have been used in "magic" rituals, etc etc.

    anyway, i think thats pretty cool that they statrted doing this on the metro cards!

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  8. the boyfriend and I have noticed that lately fortune cookies don't seem to tell fortunes anymore, they just talk to you... they tell you nothing important but things you already know. The ones I open might as well say 'You are a female' - that's about where it's at now.

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  9. Yeah, I don't like that second line "Get with child a mandrake root,"...reminds me too much of that old phrase for pregnant "to be with child". Sounds like it wants you to mate with the terrifying plant-man.

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  10. Poetry on the back of your metro card? That's almost as cool as the time that I looked on the back of my light rail ticket in Salt Lake City and found a Bible quote.

    No, not really. That never happened.

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  11. I admire your courage and your ability to pick up and find YOU. So I gave you an award on my blog. You deserve it. You are an inspiration and while I'm sure you know that, sometimes a little reminder doesn't hurt, right? :)

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  12. Why do I always have to click things that are labeled "something scary". As if they aren't going to be scary. That thing is terrifying!

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