Miniver Cheevy, Creepy Doctor Who Angels, and Me

I came across this poem online tonight; aside from not being an alcoholic, I can relate to the mentioned character's predicament (although I feel like the poet takes a somewhat dim view of Miniver Cheevy, from the tone of the poem). I was born in the wrong time. I don't relate well to modernity, many of my morals and sense of justice are rather anachronistic, and I would rather have been born in another time (in the past). Apparently this feeling is rather common -- many people feel like this, others feel they were born too soon (not getting to benefit from future technology). Some people into spiritual things maintain that it is old souls from previous lives being unable to let go. Who knows? All I know is, I am Miniver Cheevy.

Miniver Cheevy

By E.A. Robinson

Miniver Cheevy, child of scorn,

Grew lean while he assailed the seasons;

He wept that he was ever born,

And he had reasons.

Miniver loved the days of old

When swords were bright and steeds were prancing;

The vision of a warrior bold

Would set him dancing.

Miniver sighed for what was not,

And dreamed, and rested from his labors;

He dreamed of Thebes and Camelot,

And Priam's neighbors.

Miniver mourned the ripe renown

That made so many a name so fragrant;

He mourned Romance, now on the town,

And Art, a vagrant.

Miniver loved the Medici,

Albeit he had never seen one;

He would have sinned incessantly

Could he have been one.

Miniver cursed the commonplace

And eyed a khaki suit with loathing;

He missed the mediæval grace

Of iron clothing.

Miniver scorned the gold he sought,

But sore annoyed was he without it;

Miniver thought, and thought, and thought,

And thought about it.

Miniver Cheevy, born too late,

Scratched his head and kept on thinking;

Miniver coughed, and called it fate,

And kept on drinking.

Another symptom of my wistfulness for the past, is my wish that the Creepy Doctor Who Angels were a real thing. The Angels are recurring characters on the reboot of the British TV series, Doctor Who. They are creatures who are invisible when they attack you, but can only attack if they are not seen. If they are seen, they freeze in place and look like normal (or sometimes really scary looking) stone statutes. But their form of attack is what interests me: when they touch you, you "die" in the present, but that is only because they send you to some place and time in the past to live out the remainder of your natural life. Most people I know find the Angels really scary or freaky. I find them awesome and often find myself wondering aloud whether the Angels would be amenable to bargaining over where they send their "victims." Because I would totally let them zap me back without a fight. Also, apparently they are called "weeping angels."

Weeping angel in attack mode. Still failing to see how falling victim to one of these would be a bad thing