Nobody, Being and Nothingness - Identity
Created | Updated Mar 5, 2007
William Hughes Mearns who died in 1965 is credited with writing the short poem that has been adapted for use in the film Identity.
Hughes Mearns (as he was better known) was an American educator and poet.
a Hughes Mearns version1
Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away.
and a Hughes Mearns version variant
Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today
I wish that man would go away.
a film version2
As I was going up the stair
I met a man, who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
I wish, I wish he'd go away.
a Star Trek version3
I thought I saw upon the stairs
A little man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
Oh how I wish he'd go away.
a glossy version4
I saw a man upon the stair,
A little man who was not there.
He was not there again today.
Gee, I wish he'd go away!
a chair version5
As I was sitting in my chair,
I knew the bottom wasn't there,
Nor legs nor back, but I just sat,
Ignoring little things like that.
and,the where am i version6
As I was sitting in my chair
I noticed that I wasn't there
I do hope that I come back soon
I'm going out this afternoon.
a purple version7
I've never seen a purple cow,
I hope never to see one, etc.
Alan Ramsay 8even thought that perhaps Hughes Mearns had met Simon Crean 9 in a previous life upon the stairs.
of course M. Hazard doesn't feature yet, but may do in the future.
the Identity version appears to describe the state of mind of one Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) a serial killer suffering dissociative identity disorder.
not finished...slightly edited version from previous start
1Antigonish, 1899 originally thought to be attributed to anonymous the poem is widely accepted as written by Hughes Mearns2Identity 20033a timeline challenged Star Trek novel The Next Generation Q-Squared
4unknown author5apparently by Hughes Mearns6from a collection of reworked works - apparently to update the Hughes Mearns old school versions7citation required
8a www.smh.com.au hack 9a former Australian Labour Party leader
4unknown author5apparently by Hughes Mearns6from a collection of reworked works - apparently to update the Hughes Mearns old school versions7citation required
8a www.smh.com.au hack 9a former Australian Labour Party leader
