Mr Nobody

Mr. Nobody

(Author Unknown)

I know a funny little man,

As quiet as a mouse,

Who does the mischief that is done

In everybody's house!

There's no one ever sees his face,

And yet we all agree

That every plate we break was cracked

By Mr. Nobody.

'Tis he who always tears our books,

Who leaves the door ajar,

He pulls the buttons from our shirts,

And scatters pins afar;

That squeaking door will always

squeak

For, Prithee, don't you see,

We leave the oiling to be done

By Mr. Nobody.

He puts damp wood upon the fire,

That kettles cannot boil;

His are the feet that bring in mud,

And all the carpets soil.

The papers always are mislaid,

Who had them last but he?

There's no one tosses them about

But Mr. Nobody.

The finger-marks upon the door

By none of us are made;

We never leave the blinds unclosed,

To let the curtains fade.

The ink we never spill, the boots

That lying round you see

Are not our boots; they all belong

To Mr. Nobody.

So this poem tells about the character called Mr. Nobody who does not exist. He is just being mentioned as the fall guy and must take all the blame around the house as if he truly exists in every house.

Let us look at the poem again.There are four stanzas. Let us look at the kind of mischief done by Mr. Nobody .

In Stanza 1.
·         He cracks plates.

In Stanza 2.
·         He tears books.
·         He does not close doors properly.
·         He pulls off shirt buttons.
·         He scatters pins.
·         He never oils the door which squeaks.

In Stanza 3
·         He puts damp wood upon the fire.
·         He muddies and soils the carpets.
·         He mislaid the newspapers.
·         He also tosses the papers around.

In Stanza 4
·         He leaves finger marks on the door.
·         He leaves the blinds unclosed.
·         He spills ink.
·         He leaves his books lying all over.

He did most of these nasty things. He also failed in his responsibility to do some chores. These included not oiling the squeaky doors, leaving the blind unclosed that will fade the house curtains and leaving his boots everywhere in the house.

Interestingly, no one has ever seen Mr. Nobody. Yet he is described as a small and quiet person.
When we read this poem, we can reflect the childhood days where oftentimes we behave irresponsibly and like to point fingers at others. We have yet to grow up, take responsibilities and admit our mistakes or own up to our failings.

So, the moral of the story is that everyone must be responsible; for that truly will be a sign that you have grown up.