TRYINGS

Before he became the great essayist, Montaigne
Was thrown from his horse. Servants carried him home
Unconscious. He lay for days, groaning and thrashing
But, when he awoke, remembered only a pleasant dream
About riding with his father. You can read all about this --
Many have -- in the Essais. Since their first printing

 Unconscious folk with no other place to go
Have slipped into Montaigne's dream.
Montaigne and his father have given up
Trying to figure out who we are, why we ride
So badly and why so few of us speak good French.