Friday, November 13, 2009

Light Verse by Arthur Guiterman



I’ve been writing quite a bit of light verse lately. Today, I thought I’d share a couple of humorous poems by Arthur Guiterman with you. I hope you enjoy these rhythmic gems.

Strictly Germ-proof


The Antiseptic Baby and the Prophylactic Pup

Were playing in the garden when the Bunny gamboled up;

They looked upon the Creature with a loathing undisguised;—

It wasn't Disinfected and it wasn't Sterilized.

They said it was a Microbe and a Hotbed of Disease;

They steamed it in a vapor of a thousand-odd degrees;

They froze it in a freezer that was cold as Banished Hope

And washed it in permanganate with carbolated soap.


You can read the rest of the poem here.

Kindness to Insects

I saw a Melancholy Wasp
Upon a Purple Clover Knosp,
Who wept, "The Poets do me Wrong,
Excluding me from Noble Song --
Though Pure am I and Wholly Crimeless --
Because, they say, my Name is Rhymeless!

You can read the rest of the poem here.

NOTE: I won't be posting on Friday next week. I'll be down in Philadelphia for the NCTE Annual Convention.

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I’m sharing some of my original double dactyls about characters from children’s books and fairy tales at Wild Rose Reader.

I have three new posts at Political Verses this week: Driving Drunk: A Short Poem about Mary Strey; A Dead Rabbit Toss Competition Poem; and Making the Grade.

Gregory K. of GottaBook has the Poetry Friday Roundup here: The Lament of Thursday the 12th (a poem) and the Poetry Friday Roundup!

6 comments:

jama said...

Thanks for these, Elaine. They cheered me up today -- though I'm wondering how sterile wasps are? :)

Elaine Magliaro said...

Jama,

I think we need a little light verse every now and then to give us a chuckle.

I really wanted to post Guiterman's poem "Ancient History"--but I couldn't find it on the Internet.

Mary Lee said...

I hope I get to see you at NCTE!!!

Elaine Magliaro said...

Mary Lee-

I'm hoping I'll have the opportunity to meet you too. Will you be attending the Books for Children Luncheon on Saturday? I'll be there. I'll also be at the Poetry Party for Lee Bennett Hopkins on Friday morning.

Nishant said...

think we need a little light verse every now and then to give us a chuckle. Work from home India

Christine Tripp said...

Elaine, I don't know that I found "Strictly Germ-proof" light verse exactly but wow, I did find it timely (and yet the author died in 1943. It's as if he were here today, watching parents lather their chicks with antiseptic soap, bleaching all they come in contact with and instructing them to not touch their little bactirial and virus ladden friends!!!
The man practically predicted our paranoid future.
Thank you for introducing me to his work.
Chris