Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Poetry Wednesday, Vol. 33

We recently purchased a Golden Book of Fun and Nonsense at our favorite resale store. The kids love most of the poems, think they understand some of the poems and are thoroughly confused by the rest. This Ogden Nash poem makes Josie giggle.

I am also including an Emily Dickinson that my brother in law pointed out to me, it is better each time I read it.


The Pig
Ogden Nash

The pig, if I am not mistaken,
Supplies us sausage, ham, and bacon.
Let others say his heart is big -
I call it stupid of the pig.



I'm Nobody
Emily Dickinson

I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there's a pair of us -don't tell!
They'd banish us, you know.

How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!





9 comments:

Molly Sabourin said...

These make me smile, Kris. That Emily Dickinson - what an interesting character she was! I think I would have enjoyed talking with her very much. I wish she was in our book club. : )

Beth said...

Love the Dickinson poem. Almost posted it myself a couple weeks back. Have a good day. Hope it is as sunny and warm in Chesterton as it is in Davenport!

Beth Hanna said...

Loved them both! I was going to put a silly poem up this week, then someone sent me the one I finally did put up. But we need silliness, don't we? And I have a pile of them waiting, waiting.... for the right moment!

Beth Hanna said...

Had to add another note! I'm SO GLAD I'm "nobody"! It's so safe! But with God, I'm a princess, heir to the throne! That's also very safe!

Julia said...

I know that I encountered this Emily Dickinson poem a long time ago and of course loved it, but sometimes if I don't somehow bookmark her poems they slip away and I can never seem find them again. Thanks for posting this one-- I love it. Yes, being a nobody is so safe and comforting. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Kris-- I've also been meaning to tell you how indebted I am to you for instituting this poetry Wednesday thing. It has been so great for me. Writing makes me happy but I couldn't figure out a way to do it consistently with two little kids. I think I was overthinking it and just needed a structure/routine in order to write consistently-- something simple and realistic. But I don't think I could have come up with it on my own. Thanks from the bottom of my heart for helping me get unstuck and do the thing I really love.

Michelle said...

Love the pig poem - it would make my children laugh too!

And Emily Dickinson... great poem! One that everyone in our celebrity-driven, fame-driven culture should read and take to heart.

Happy Wednesday!

Jenny said...

Dear Kris,

I love the idea of Poetry Wednesday and am eager to join your circle of poems. The only problem is that I am on Hawaii time--everything here moves slowly. Last week I posted on Friday, and this week, Thursday. I am hoping that next week I can actually get my poem up on Weds.

The Emily Dickinson poem is a hoot. Thanks for posting your poems and for this beautiful vision of a community of poems each week!

Jennifer said...

I love Ogden Nash! He's a silly truth-teller.

I so struggle with Emily Dickinson. I don't like the majority of her poems, but she does have these gems!

Thanks for another week of fun!

anna j said...

I would like to echo Julia's comment, in thanking you for doing the Poetry Wednesday. It has been a delight to read the poem-loves and thoughts of those who are dear to me and those I do not yet know, but admire . . . and since I obsessively recite poetry to myself, I keep meaning to join in on the Wednesday fun, but then end up missing Wednesday each time I think about it! Maybe this week?