Frederic Ogden Nash (1902–1971)was an American poet best known for writing pithy and funny light verse. He's famous for (among others)
The Camel has a single hump, The dromedary two, Or else the other way around, I'm never sure - are you?
The Lord in His wisdom made the fly And then forgot to tell us why
The one-L lama, he's a priest The two-L llama, he's a beast And I would bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-L lllama
The one-L lama, he's a priest The two-L llama, he's a beast And I would bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-L lllama
More here in Wikipedia.
The Purist by Ogden Nash
I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist,
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"
And sent him off to distant jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his loving bride.
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile.
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."
The Purist by Ogden Nash
I give you now Professor Twist,
A conscientious scientist,
Trustees exclaimed, "He never bungles!"
And sent him off to distant jungles.
Camped on a tropic riverside,
One day he missed his loving bride.
She had, the guide informed him later,
Been eaten by an alligator.
Professor Twist could not but smile.
"You mean," he said, "a crocodile."
(I once saw a john Wayne film where someone explains the difference between a crocodile and an alligator by saying that the first chews your leg off while the other snaps it off in one bite!)
3 comments:
Thanks for this 'Short Poem' series, Gary. There's some great stuff there. For someone who's in the throws of trying to learn Espanol, the llama reference is pretty timely!!
My favourite short poem is 'The Ram's Horn' by John Hewitt, the poet of the glens of Antirm, in Ulster. Have you read any of him?
You've got me there. i must check it out. I'm glad you're enjoying the series and Alan D is being allowed to relive his chioldhood.
At leest I can stil spel childhod.
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