The Art of Language Lesson 09, Page 4

Here are two more poems for today’s seminar:

 

Weather

by Eve Merriam

 

Dot a dot dot dot a dot dot

Spotting the windowpane.

 

Spack a spaack spack speck flick a flack fleck

Freckling the windowpane.

 

A spatter a scatter a wet cat a clatter

A splatter a rumble outside.

 

Umbrella umbrella umbrella umbrella

Bumbershoot barrell of rain.

 

Slosh a galosh slosh a galosh

Slither and slather a glide

 

A puddle a jump a puddle a jump

A puddle a jump puddle splosh

 

A juddle a pump a luddle a dump

A pudmuddle jump in and slide!

 

—

 

Daddy Fell into the Pond

by Alfred Noyes

 

Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey.

We had nothing to do and nothing to say.

We were nearing the end of a dismal day.

And there seemed to be nothing beyond,

Then

Daddy fell into the pond!

 

And everyone’s face grew merry and bright,

And Timothy danced for sheer delight.

‘Give me the camera, quick, oh quick!

He’s crawling out of the duckweed!’ Click!

 

Then the gardener suddenly slapped his knee,

and doubled up, shaking silently,

And the ducks all quacked as if they were daft,

And it sounded as if the old drake laughed.

Oh, there wasn’t a thing that didn’t respond

When

Daddy fell into the pond!