BY JOHN ANSELL
“As the crow flies” goes the phrase
For that least indirect of ways
That travellers hypothetically
Transport themselves from A to B.
(Or make a beeline, some might say
Like bees that buzz to B from A.)
But such directions presuppose
The very healthiest of crows;
For crows afflicted with dementia
Every flight’s a new adventure;
Then a trip from A to B
Might well go via C or D
Or even quite conceivably
To E or F or G — or P!
I chanced to see on TV3
A crow departing ex-DC
En route to Aussie’s ACT
Confused by dodgy ESP
Had strayed into the DMZ
And hit the sea off PNG.
STOP PRESS: No crows fly all that straight;
It seems they do not navigate
The shortest route between two marks
But cross the sky in sweeping arcs.
Though bullets do and pigeons likewise
Crows do not fly as the crow flies.
