FALL/ WINTER 2016

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Herbert Kuhner

THE SPRUCE GOOSE LAYS AN EGG

Howard Hughes of the Hughes Tool Co.
is the man who built the goose
that was supposed to be used
to transport troops.

They laughed at Howard
and called the goose Hughes' Folly
They said it was born
with clipped wings
and Would never take to the air,
but Howard proved them
sort of wrong
by f1ying the goose
seventy feet above the water.
Nevertheless, he was sued
by the government
for misappropriation of funds
and was subpoenaed to appear
before a Senate Investigating Committee.

It was bruited about
that Howard's screws were loose
and that the goose
was a billion dollar bust,
the biggest turkey
in the history of aviation.
and that by building the goose,
Howard had laid an egg.
However, Howard posthumously
proved them dead wrong.
The source of the egg
was to be the bird,
not its maker.

He had the foresight
to dismantle the goose
and built a hangar to house it
where it remained under wraps
till his demise.

And after Howard had gone
the way of all flesh,
someone had the bright idea
of renovating the goose
and turning it into a tourist attraction.

Now, the goose that Howard built
stands on display
making a mint
for the Hughes estate,

So maybe the man who built the goose
knew what he was doing
and wasn't daft after all. 
The goose they called a turkey
turned out to be a bird
that laid a golden egg
after its maker was dead

Which goes to show
that nothing's impossible
in the land of opportunity
if you wait long enough.

Only in America
could a turkey
turn into the goose
that laid the golden egg.

So don't call a goose
a turkey
before its egg is laid.


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