Likely you have all heard this poem before. I recalled it recently when someone asked me a question and I quoted a line of it resulting in a blank stare from the recipient of my declamation.
Searching for the poem online I discovered that there were several versions of this poem, and I also found another very like it.
The only way I felt these classic poems could be improved in this day and age was to festoon them with tasteless animated graphics and spice them up with color!
Most people seem to agree that Charles Osgood was the progenitor of this poem about four people, Anybody, Everybody, Somebody and Nobody.
There was a most important job that needed to be done,And no reason not to do it, there was absolutely none.But in vital matters such as this, the thing you have to askIs who exactly will it be who'll carry out the task?Anybody could have told you that everybody knewThat this was something somebody would surely have to do.Nobody was unwilling; anybody had the ability.But nobody believed that it was their responsibility.It seemed to be a job that anybody could have done,If anybody thought he was supposed to be the one.But since everybody recognised that anybody could,Everybody took for granted that somebody would.But nobody told anybody that we are aware of,That he would be in charge of seeing it was taken care of.And nobody took it on himself to follow through,And do what everybody thought that somebody would do.When what everybody needed so did not get done at all,Everybody was complaining that somebody dropped the ball.Anybody then could see it was an awful crying shame,And everybody looked around for somebody to blame.Somebody should have done the jobAnd Everybody should have,But in the end Nobody didWhat Anybody could have.The other one I recalled while searching for the above gem was this one by Edward Estlin Cummings.
anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did
Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain
children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by morewhen by now and tree by leafshe laughed his joy she cried his griefbird by snow and stir by stillanyone's any was all to her
someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream
stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)
one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was
all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.
Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their camesun moon stars rain