Go tell aunt rosie...

I've got an objection here. Forget politics. Forget South American Medicine. This is an objection in general. My daughter, Madeleina, begin studying flute in the 6th grade. Now my wife Chepa's daughter, Sierra (we've been separated for 17 years) is studying the flute. And both Madeleina and Sierra learn the song: Go Tell Aunt Rosie early on. But now I'm upset. The lyric goes: "Go tell aunt Rosie, go tell aunt Rosie, go tell aunt Rosie, the old grey mare is dead." I do not doubt the death, as people have been singing about it since I took accordian lessons in 1956, at least, but I object to the idea of the song. Obviously, aunt Rosie cannot go see her old gray mare. So she's incapacitated somehow. Might be physical, might be Alzheimers, might be something else, but for whatever reason she cannot go see her old gray mare. But if she cannot go see the horse, why would you celebrate telling her that her favorite horse is dead? Why don't you tell her that the horse is healthy, playful, wild, or whatever. What good does telling your infirm aunt that her favorite horse died do? Nothing. It's just cruel. So stop singing that song. Leave Aunt Rosie alone. She has enough problems without you sticking it to her. That's what I'm thinking about tonight.