Pod
(a lesson in legume)

See its first ever performance here: https://youtu.be/sv_NcLEOAjs?t=1686

My Dad found it appalling and odd
When his students didn't know that peas grew in a pod
Not a can on a shelf or a bag in a freezer
He helped each teach themself to be a clever geezer, ‘cos
They don't know they don't know what they don't know
'Til they find it right under their nose hiding there in plain sight
So Dad gave them the full pea origin story
It was jolly enthralling, neither boring nor gory
But ironically, three decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "What's that?" And on the other foot the shoe was shod

Ah! You know you don't know what you don't know
You might find it right under your nose hiding there in plain sight
The more that you learn, the more you learn
That there's more to learn, lurking in turn, hiding there in plain sight
I was more than forty, I'm not ashamed to tell
When it dawned on me I'd never seen a cashew shell
So I sought the full cashew origin story
Of this Brazilian tree fruit in all its orangey glory
But its crazy nutcase's internal fluid's infernal
And in turn returns the yield of but a solitary kernel

So yep, I know I don't know what I don't know
I might find it right under my nose hiding there in plain sight
The more that you learn, the more you learn
That there's more to learn, lurking in turn, hiding there in plain sight
It waits patiently, invitingly
Crying, “Look at me! I've been right here all your life in plain sight"

When Dad got older and forgot what he'd been told he'd been told
Friends would remind him and then he'd get to learn it all over again
New tricks for all dogs, no use by date
Let the cat be curious, it's never too late, to wonder
What is it? What's in it? Who made it? And how?
Where's it from? How'd it get here? How's it work? Wow!
Is it renewable? Repairable? Recyclable? Reusable?
A choir of inquiry's the required task
The only truly dumb question is the one you don't ask

So, yep, you know you don't know what you don't know
You might find it right under your nose hiding there in plain sight
The more that you learn, the more you learn
That there's more to learn, lurking in turn, hiding there in plain sight
It's not camouflaged, creeping about
It's just standing out, flying a kite, looming large in plain sight
Maybe it's more like a butterfly
Prepupatedly biding its time ’til it's ripe to take flight
Perhaps it's a seed, that'd be apt
Knowing growing needs rain and sunlight to sprout out to full height
You know you don't know what you don't know
You might find it right under your nose hiding there in plain sight

© Mal Webb 2020

These are all true stories about my Dad and me. In addition, Dad's peapod story inspired my Grandad to establish an educational farm (well, so Dad claimed!) And Dad was surprise to see me eating a carob pods, because he remember them from his school yard, and his friends throwing them at eachother: "If I'd known you could eat them... ". Dad's family was fairly poor, so an additional bit of food would've been (bean) most welcome! Note all the below attempts at writing that line. The cashew thing really took me by surprise: Cashew production is incredibly labour intensive and the Cashew Nut Shell Liquid is rather caustic and causes all manner of skin and eye problems for the workers (mostly in Asia and Africa).
 A Cashew is officially a "drupe", rather than a nut or a fruit... great word!

Several attempts at the carob pod line:

But ironically, 3 decades on, Dad saw me eat a carob pod
"Er, what's that?", he said. He'd seen them all his life but not as fodder

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob bean
Dad asked, "what's that?" For 'twas a pod as fodder he'd not seen

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "what's that?" Him seeing that bean being eaten seem quite odd

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "what's that?" He'd seen them oft, but only flung and trod

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "what's that?" To see me eat that street tree seed was odd

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "what's that?" When I explained, he smiled and gave a nod

But ironically, 3 decades later, as I ate a carob pod
Dad asked, "what's that?" When I explained, he gave a gentle nod