Hyphen
If everyone knew everyone from Cuba to Canton, there’d be no block to any city street; everyone knows Jonathan and everyone knows John but Jonathan and John will never meet.
Kay Sage
SourceLicence:Public domain (US, unrenewed)
If everyone knew everyone from Cuba to Canton, there’d be no block to any city street; everyone knows Jonathan and everyone knows John but Jonathan and John will never meet.
The poem sets up a lighthearted puzzle about how people connect, or fail to. The speaker imagines a world so well connected that everyone, from Cuba to Canton, knows everyone else, and streets would be so full of greetings and conversation that you couldn't get down them. Then comes the twist: Jonathan and John are both known to everybody, yet they will never meet.
The joke is in the names. Jonathan and John are close to being the same name, nearly the same person, and the title "Hyphen" hints at the small mark that might join them or hold them apart. The speaker doesn't say why they stay separate, which is part of the charm. The tone is dry, playful, and a little wistful. It's amused by the odd gaps in human networks, but there's a quiet sadness too: even in a world where everyone is known, some pairs who seem made for each other slip past without a word.