Basket Cases Poem by gershon hepner

Those who live in basket houses
at others should not throw their stones,
and those who thrive by clicking mouses
should not condemn the mobile phones.

Throwing stones at basket cases
is worse than treading on a beetle,
and, worst of all, Amazing Grace is
like faith that’s stoned, unformed and fetal.

After Bob Dylan moved from Hibbing to Manhattan he worked in basket houses, which were clubs where people would throw money into a basket to pay the performer. I wondered whether this was the origin of the term “basket case”.



4/25/08