There's a scene in My Fair Lady when Henry Higgins sings about all the ways English citizens are incapable of speaking their own language. It's a catchy, rhythmic tune, and is one of the first thoughts that popped into my head after reading this poem. It turns out that my association wasn't too far off, because "Something on a Tray" was actually a number in the musical "After the Ball" that made its debut in London in 1954.

The second thought? London. I saw My Fair Lady for the first time 10 years ago on stage in Covent Garden, on a rainy day in October. I went by myself, taking the buses and hopping off with my umbrella in tow. Oh, to be a student again!