Socks 2. Methodology Boogaloo

"Socks" by Valerie Neufeld. Ink and colour pencil on paper

By Jawad Ali

A holy prophet stepped outside
He was wearing mismatched socks
He came upon a kitty cat
Crouching behind the rocks

“Aw, just look at you, you pretty thing”
He sat down to stroke her fur
A little koochi woochi, woochi woo
And the kitty began to purr

The discovery of this story
Set the scholarly world ablaze
Where nothing new had happened
Since the early, early days

Sciences were developed
To make sure every word is true
Each narrator was examined
Starting with the last man in the crew

They questioned the character
Of a nephew of this man
They audited the receipts
Of a business his uncle ran

Finding meaning in this story
Was left to a privileged few
They were bound by their training
To take a strictly legal view

Armies of eager scholars
Poured over the very text
Working groups came up with
The socks specification next

Some socks were prohibited
Some socks were legalized
Our neglected feline friends
Were not a bit surprised

The faithful expressed their devotion
With new socks across the land
The Kitty cats are still waiting
For the touch of a loving hand

Jawad Ali is the co-founder of MWU! and the author of the first Socks poem.