There but for the Grace of God...

January 20, 2010

Order in the Court

I was walking through my kitchen last night when a song popped into my head.  Well, not a song really.  More like a ditty.  It's been stuck there ever since.  I can't sing it for you, obviously, but it goes like this:

Order in the court.
The judge wants to speak.
The first one to talk is the monkey of the week.

Now my question is, where the hell did that come from?  I mean, I recognize it.  It's a little song that my fourth grade teacher used to sing when she wanted us to quiet down.  How's that for sudden and serious clarity of memory?  But the point is, it's not been a part of my waking consciousness for the past 21 years.  So why now?  Why that moment as I passed the fridge heading for the sink?  Seriously.  It makes me wonder what else is lurking around in there. 

Maybe one of these days all that Spanish I learned in high school will come rushing back.  Perhaps I'll suddenly recall why I dyed my hair orange in the 10th grade.  Hmmm.  Actually, maybe I'd rather not know.  And that's the thing about these suddenly reclaimed memories.  It's a crap shoot.  Can I remember the names of grammar school class mates when I run into them at the local Wal-Mart during my annual trips to visit my folks?  Nope.  And these are people that I saw and interacted with on a daily basis for years.  Where's my super memory then?  There are years of useful information floating around up there, just waiting for the appropriate trigger to activate the pathways to memory and I end up with Order in the Court?  I'm certain this says something important about my early childhood development.  I just can't remember what.       

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I remember:
Order in the court, the monkey wants to speak. No laughing or talking or showing your dirty teeth.

I too am trying to find the origin of the saying. Please let us know if you find out.