All Things Devours
This thing all things devours,
Birds, beasts, trees, and flowers.
Gnaws iron bites steel,
Grinds hard stones to meal,
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down
Time. Iron, steel, stone and virtually any substance will be worn down given enough time.
(From J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit)
What are the Things?
In one day, 6 things.
In one week, 4 things.
In one month, 2 things.
In one year, 1 thing.
What are the things?
Odd numbers.
In a day, there are 6 odd hours: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 (ignoring 24-hour time).
In a week, there are 4 odd-numbered days: 1, 3, 5, 7
In a month, there are 2 odd weeks: 1, 3 (no month has 5 full weeks)
And in a year’s 12 months, there is 1 odd number: 1 (the 1 of 12).
I readily agree the year one is a stretch, but I didn’t write it :)
Guide and Scraping Along
Guided, I am scraping along,
leaving behind my snow white dust
against that which I am scraping,
for when I am scraping, I must.
Chalk
By Sef Daystrom
Not a Bird Though Feathered
It’s not a bird, though feathered, and
it has a mobile nest.
It’s quick in flight and, having flown,
it always stops to rest.
An arrow. It has feathers and its nest (a quiver) is usually carried an archer’s back. The arrow flies when released, but will always land somewhere to rest.
By Sef Daystrom
Imprisoned In Wood and Never Released
I am taken from a mine and shut up in a wooden case from which I am never released. Yet I am used by almost everybody. What am I?
Pencil lead. While modern pencils don’t contain lead, that’s still what we call the graphite compound. When real lead was used in pencils it was mined and nearly everyone has used a pencil at some point in their life.
Where I Never Was
You saw me where I never was and where I could not be. And yet within that very place, my face you often see. What am I?
A reflection
I Can Ruin a Lucky Run
I can ruin a lucky run,
Or create an item of wealth,
But for man, woman or child,
I’ll always steal your health.
What am I?
Die. The roll of a die can ruin a game of chance. A die (i.e. mold) is used to create new coins and so far at least, we all die.