poetry month

Bad Poetry Day – August 18th [Respects to William McGonagall] 10

 in Poetry by

On this wonderful Saturday, you can spend the day reading some really bad poetry. Why?

Because today is Bad Poetry Day!

You may want to pay some respects to William McGonagall, who is known to have written the worst poetry in history.

Check out some other bad poems here. A simple google search will bring up tons!

The Tay Bridge Disaster

by William McGonagall

Beautiful Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay!
Alas! I am very sorry to say
That ninety lives have been taken away
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

’Twas about seven o’clock at night,
And the wind it blew with all its might,
And the rain came pouring down,
And the dark clouds seem’d to frown,
And the Demon of the air seem’d to say-
“I’ll blow down the Bridge of Tay.”

When the train left Edinburgh
The passengers’ hearts were light and felt no sorrow,
But Boreas blew a terrific gale,
Which made their hearts for to quail,
And many of the passengers with fear did say-
“I hope God will send us safe across the Bridge of Tay.”

But when the train came near to Wormit Bay,
Boreas he did loud and angry bray,
And shook the central girders of the Bridge of Tay
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

So the train sped on with all its might,
And Bonnie Dundee soon hove in sight,
And the passengers’ hearts felt light,
Thinking they would enjoy themselves on the New Year,
With their friends at home they lov’d most dear,
And wish them all a happy New Year.

So the train mov’d slowly along the Bridge of Tay,
Until it was about midway,
Then the central girders with a crash gave way,
And down went the train and passengers into the Tay!
The Storm Fiend did loudly bray,
Because ninety lives had been taken away,
On the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

As soon as the catastrophe came to be known
The alarm from mouth to mouth was blown,
And the cry rang out all o’er the town,
Good Heavens! the Tay Bridge is blown down,
And a passenger train from Edinburgh,
Which fill’d all the peoples hearts with sorrow,
And made them for to turn pale,
Because none of the passengers were sav’d to tell the tale
How the disaster happen’d on the last Sabbath day of 1879,
Which will be remember’d for a very long time.

It must have been an awful sight,
To witness in the dusky moonlight,
While the Storm Fiend did laugh, and angry did bray,
Along the Railway Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
Oh! ill-fated Bridge of the Silv’ry Tay,
I must now conclude my lay
By telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay,
That your central girders would not have given way,
At least many sensible men do say,
Had they been supported on each side with buttresses,
At least many sensible men confesses,
For the stronger we our houses do build,
The less chance we have of being killed.

The Lion by Roald Dahl

 in Fun / Poetry by

Poems are short little stories in their own way. It’s a bite sized way that one is able to travel and experience things that they otherwise might not be able to. Roald Dahl, besides being a fantastic writer of novels, also wrote poetry (which quite a few people apparently do not know). One of his most famous poems (according to some searching around) is The Lion.

I do have to say, the poem is making me a little peckish. How about you?

The Lion by Roald Dahl

“The lion just adores to eat
A lot of red and tender meat
And if you ask the lion what
Is much the tenderest of the lot,
He will not say a roast of lamb
Or curried beef or devilled ham
Or crispy pork or corned beef hash
Or sausages or mutton mash.
Then could it be a big plump hen?
He answers no. What is it, then?
Oh, lion dear, could I not make
You happy with a lovely steak?
Could I entice you from your lair
With rabbit pie or roasted hare?
The lion smiled and shook his head
He came up very close and said,
‘The meat I am about to chew
Is neither steak nor chops. IT’S YOU.’”

– from Dirty Beasts by Roald Dahl

 


Roald Dahl has written an incredible collection of books like The Witches (which was my favorite when I was young), Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (which had a 1973 movie version and a 2005 version).

There’s some incredible collections of his books out there which are honestly, in my opinion, the perfect gift for younger to middle aged children and even some adults would be super happy with it. I know I would be!

 

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Fear No More The Heat O’ The Sun ~ William Shakespeare

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April 23 is the day celebrated as the possible birthdate and known death date for the Bard, William Shakespeare. Coinciding with St. George’s Day (the dragon slaying patron saint of England) this is a day that must acknowledge Shakespeare’s immense contribution to poetry and prose.

 

Fear no more the heat o’ the sun

Fear no more the heat o’ the sun,
Nor the furious winter’s rages;
Thou thy worldly task hast done,
Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages:
Golden lads and girls all must,
As chimney-sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown o’ the great;
Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke;
Care no more to clothe and eat;
To thee the reed is as the oak:
The scepter, learning, physic, must
All follow this, and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning flash,
Nor the all-dreaded thunder stone;
Fear not slander, censure rash;
Thou hast finished joy and moan:
All lovers young, all lovers must
Consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
And renownèd be thy grave!
William Shakespeare
Cymbeline King Of Britain ~ Act 4 Scene 2
Fear No More The Heat O' The Sun ~ William Shakespeare

Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth ~ Pam Ayres

 in Poetry by

Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth by Pam Ayres

Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,
And spotted the dangers beneath
All the toffees I chewed,
And the sweet sticky food.
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

I wish I’d been that much more willin’
When I had more tooth there than fillin’
To give up gobstoppers,
From respect to me choppers,
And to buy something else with me shillin’.

When I think of the lollies I licked
And the liquorice allsorts I picked,
Sherbet dabs, big and little,
All that hard peanut brittle,
My conscience gets horribly pricked.

My mother, she told me no end,
‘If you got a tooth, you got a friend.’
I was young then, and careless,
My toothbrush was hairless,
I never had much time to spend.

Oh I showed them the toothpaste all right,
I flashed it about late at night,
But up-and-down brushin’
And pokin’ and fussin’
Didn’t seem worth the time – I could bite!

If I’d known I was paving the way
To cavities, caps and decay,
The murder of fillin’s,
Injections and drillin’s,
I’d have thrown all me sherbet away.

So I lie in the old dentist’s chair,
And I gaze up his nose in despair,
And his drill it do whine
In these molars of mine.
‘Two amalgam,’ he’ll say, ‘for in there.’

How I laughed at my mother’s false teeth,
As they foamed in the waters beneath.
But now comes the reckonin’
It’s methey are beckonin’
Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth.

And if you want complete joy you can listen to Pam Ayres herself read it Here.

Oh, I Wish I'd Looked After Me Teeth by Pam Ayres

April Is Poetry Month ~ What Are You Reading?

 in Poetry by

April is Poetry Month when readers and word loving people are encouraged to delve into poetry instead of prose and explore the world of words.

Often considered a rarefied medium and quite high brow poetry definitely isn’t for everyone, and often is shunned by students and the public at large. Quite interesting really as the first forms of literature for infants is often poetry and nursery rhymes. Think Mother Goose and all the little rhymes that children learn, The Owl And The Pussycat, Three Little Speckled Frogs, The Wheels On The Bus, and so much more. The repetitive rhythm of these gives a physical comfort to young ones and act as something calming and assuring as you know what is coming next.

So, what happens when you grow up? Well, there are no doubt books, articles and research into why poetry falls out of favor. Possibly the spareness of words, the depth of focus, the lack of where it is going? Who knows? Nevertheless April is the month where we are encouraged to spend a little time with poems. And as in other years we will reflect on some.

Hopefully we will find a poem or two that speaks to you, introduces you to something fresh. And there are lots of interesting poems here from other years. Just put poem in the search box.

What do you think? What are you reading?