Little Richard, the rock and roll trailblazer known for his electrifying stage presence and lively piano skills, has died. He was 87.

Millie Small, the Jamaican singer whose 1964 hit, “My Boy Lollipop,” introduced the upbeat rhythms of ska to international audiences, died on Tuesday in London. She was 73.

Why this weird song? I remember the episode of maybe The Twilight Zone where the guy survived the earwig and all the pain the earwig brought only to find out it had laid eggs.

When I was young, I read every Doctor Dolittle book. I imagined what my dog might say when we conversed. I’d chat with every animal I could. I really wished hard.