So, finally checked out the Bad Poetry thread and yep, NSFW IFYWIMAITYD.

And therefore, I’m cleansing the palate with a brief homage to one of my favorites, Ogden Nash.  He’s probably not news to any of you, but it’s possible you’ve heard of him but haven’t read much of his stuff.  And thanks to his love of humorous verse, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves as a great, great poet.

But for now I’ll just share my favorite funny ones.  His “animal” poems are the best known.  The most famed might be:

In the world of mules,

There are no rules.

But I think that’s a weaker one, although of course it is absolutely true.  Here’s the best:

The turtle lives ‘twixt plated decks,

Which practically conceal its sex.

I think it clever of the turtle,

In such a fix, to be so fertile.

Perfection.  I also love the “llama”, because of a footnote he added after receiving a letter from a reader.

The one-“l” lama, he’s a priest,

The two-“l” llama, he’s a beast.

And I’ll bet a pair of silk pajamas,

There isn’t any three-“l” lllama.

After getting feedback, he followed this up with, “A reader from New York reminds me that there is a type of conflagration known as a ‘three-alarmer’.  Pooh.”  It works even better if you imagine “alarmer” in the right N’Yawk or Joysie accent.  “It was a three-alamuh!”

I love Odgen Nash.