Besides its references to Charles Bukowski, Sunday’s episode of “Fear the Walking Dead” also referenced Hughes Mearns’ haunting poem, “Antigonish.”  I might have run this poem on the blog before; it is often referred to as “I Met a Man Who Wasn’t There.”  (This is the piece that the character Phil is reciting when he is found by the search party.)

Strangely enough, I discovered just now that Mearns’ poem was set to music by none other than Glenn Miller himself.  Miller entitled his 1939 jazz adaptation “The Little Man Who Wasn’t There,” which is another individual line in the poem.

Now all we need is zombie prep school lit students in the next episode.

“Antigonish,” by Hughes Mearns

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away…

When I came home last night at three
The man was waiting there for me
But when I looked around the hall
I couldn’t see him there at all!
Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!
Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door… (slam!)

Last night I saw upon the stair
A little man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away…