The Scarecrow

The     Scarecrow

          

Once  I           said    to        a          scarecrow,   “You  must  be tired   of        standing       in        this lonely    field.”

          

And    he       said,   “The   joy      of        scaring          is         a deep  and    lasting           one,   and    I never          tire     of it.”

          

Said    I,          after   a          minute          of        thought, “It       is         true;   for      I           too     have known that joy.”

          

Said    he,      “Only those who   are      stuffed          with   straw can     know it.”

          

Then  I           left     him,   not     knowing       whether       he       had complimented       or        belittled me.

          

A         year   passed,         during           which the     scarecrow turned           philosopher.