The poetry meme

[madbaker]

stolen from fionnbharro, but I think that my response in one of his earlier posts prompted this - so I'm taking some responsibility for it.

Post the first poem you ever memorized. If it's over a dozen lines or so, place it behind a cut. Please omit nursery rhymes or other 'children's' poetry.
And it you never memorized a poem, shame on you! Go memorize one now.

I refuse to categorize Ogden Nash as "children's poetry", so:

Behold the duck.
It does not cluck.
A cluck it lacks.
It quacks.
It is specially fond
Of a puddle or pond.
When it dines or sups,
It bottoms-ups.

If you do disqualify Nash, then feh on you. Here's the alternate:

The first child of Miss Keats-Shelley
Came to light with its face in its belly
The second was born
With a hump and a horn
And the third was as shapeless as jelly.
-Edward Gorey (as if you're at all surprised by this...)

Comments

[maestrateresa.livejournal.com]

I'm quite charmed that this may be becoming the "Ogden Nash" meme, vs. the "first poem memorized" meme :)

I believe that the concept came to him from me posting "Fire & Ice" in his lj in response to his DIY tarot card post.

I'm not sure what the first poem I memorized was...possibly

Jabberwocky
(Lewis Carroll)

'Twas brillig, and the slithey toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
and the momeraths out grabe.

"Beware the Jabberwock, my son,
the jaws that bite, the claws that catch;
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
the Frumious Bandersnatch!"

He took his Vorpal sword in hand.
Long time the manxsome foe he sought.
So rested he, by the Jubjub tre
and stood a while in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
the Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
came whistling through the tulgey wood
and burbled as it came!

One-two! One-two! and through and through
his Vorpal sword went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
he went galumphing back.

"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock!?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O Frabjous day! Calloo! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithey toves
did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
and the momeraths outgrabe.

No cutting allowed :(

[maestrateresa.livejournal.com]

n.b. I tried to use an lj cut, but I guess they don't work in the comments section. Sorry.