Growing up, my mother always told me that to be careful with your words because they can cause more harm than you can possibly imagine. I took that to heart but still was able, and to this day, get in trouble of saying something that I probably shouldn’t. I have gotten a lot better since my early years but nothing tops this.
I am a huge presidential historian and one of my favorite places is The Hermitage, which is only minutes from my house. Of course, it is the home of the 7th President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, and if you have not been, you need to go because it is historic and so dang cool.
As you are finishing up the tour, they will take you into the museum where so many cool artifacts are located. The chariot which carried him from Nashville to D.C. and back, plenty of things from his career as a general and then there is the parrot.
I love this story so much that if I ever became a stand up comedian, this would be in my act. The President had a parrot named Polly, which some reports said it was also named Poll. It was allegedly his wife’s parrot and upon her passing, he adopted said parrot. Then it says that Jackson taught the parrot how to swear profusely and Polly did it all the time.
When Jackson passed away, the parrot was in attendance at the funeral, which just makes me giggle. As the mourners gathered, Polly started insulting all of them. Swearing loudly and non stop, the powers to be, finally had the parrot removed from the service, much to the delight of the crowd.
So this is where my mind goes. Oftentimes we want to get the last word in any kind of argument or scuffle, or just anything we do. How better to get that last word than to have your parrot just insult and rip apart all those that you just wanted to get that last word in on. Think of it has a mini Don Rickles, (Don’t know him, google and you will laugh,) then let the hilarity ensue.
You would truly have the last word and I hope this story is true and I also hope that one of the those offended got into an argument with the parrot because that would mean you truly have lost the argument and/or your mind.
I know many have heard this story but for those that have not, I hope it brought you as much satisfaction as it did for me. I could see Jackson holding up drawings of said people he wanted to insult and then taught Polly what to say when they walked up. This had to be planned out for years and years and the amount of dedication that went into this, I am actually jealous of.
Remember, when you go to my funeral, and you see a parrot up front next to the casket, be prepared. I am looking at you Mike Organ.