“There was an old man of Madrid
Who ate sixty-five eggs for a quid.
When they asked, ‘Are you faint?’
He replied, ‘No I ain’t,
But I don’t feel as well as I did.”
****************
I came across this old limerick and immediately the movie Cool Hand Luke came to mind and the scene where Luke, played to perfection by Paul Newman, bet his fellow inmates that he could eat 50 eggs. Great scene. Great movie.
Luke was and is one of my favorite movie characters of all time. His contrarian nature constantly put him at odds with the world. He just didn’t seem to fit in with all its rules and was in a never ending rebellious struggle with those in authority. It was easy to identify with Luke as a young man, especially in the way he channeled his rebellion.
Cool. Never showing the anger and frustration that was obviously inside him. He had a sort of stoic acceptance, even a smile, when he appeared to totally defeated by the forces he opposed.
It’s a great film. It has drama, tragedy, humor and moments of defeat and triumph. It’s everything a movie should be. very human.
Funny how a little found limerick can trigger so many memories and feelings. Something out of nothing.
Or as Luke might say:
Sometimes nothing can be a pretty cool hand…
Redtree Times 