April is Poetry Month!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

April is National Poetry Month in the US so I'll be posting poems I like and a bit of my own verse. I hope to post something every day so if it's not your cup of tea or gets to be too much, feel free to un-follow or un-friend.

Since it's also April Fool's Day, I thought I'd start with a funny one. I love this because the rhyme (hiccup!) is so tight!

A Drink with Something in It by Ogden Nash.

There is something about a Martini,
A tingle remarkably pleasant;
A yellow, a mellow Martini;
I wish I had one at present.
There is something about a Martini,
Ere the dining and dancing begin,
And to tell you the truth,
It is not the vermouth—
I think that perhaps it's the gin.



There is something about an old-fashioned
That kindles a cardiac glow;
It is soothing and soft and impassioned
As a lyric by Swinburne or Poe.
There is something about an old-fashioned
When dusk has enveloped the sky,
And it may the ice,
Or the pineapple slice,
But I strongly suspect it’s the rye.

There is something about a mint julep.
It is nectar imbibed in a dream,
As fresh as the bud of the tulip,
As cool as the bed of the stream.
There is something about a mint julep,
A fragrance beloved by the lucky.
And perhaps it’s the tint
Of the frost and the mint,
But I think it was born in Kentucky.

There is something they put in a highball
That awakens the torpidest brain,
That kindles a spark in the eyeball,
Gliding singing through vein after vein.
There is something they put in a highball
Which you’ll notice one day, if you watch;
And it may be the soda,
But judged by the odor,
I rather believe it’s the Scotch.

Then here’s to the heartening wassail,
Wherever good fellows are found;
Be its master instead of its vassal,
And order the glasses around.
For there’s something they put in the wassail
That prevents it from tasting like wicker;
Since it’s not tapioca,
Or mustard, or mocha,
I’m forced to conclude it’s the liquor.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

Excellent. And inspiring ;)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Great! I hope it's a good month!

[ancientreader]

I LOVE YOU.
I adore Ogden Nash, and I was sure no one had ever heard of him anymore.

"The one-L lama, he's a priest.
The two-L llama, he's a beast.
And I will bet a silk pyjama
There isn't any three-L lllama."

ETA: Ha! Nothing. I forgot what I was going to say.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yea! Another Nash fan! He's great. Such amazingly clever rhymes!

That's a great one. And Barbara Fritchy who scratched when she was itchy.

[ancientreader]

And Isabel!
"Isabel met an enormous bear,
Isabel, Isabel, didn't care;
The bear was hungry, the bear was ravenous,
The bear's big mouth was cruel and cavernous.
The bear said, Isabel, glad to meet you,
How do, Isabel, now I'll eat you!
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry.
Isabel didn't scream or scurry.
She washed her hands and she straightened her hair up,
Then Isabel quietly ate the bear up."
Et cetera. And props to Mr. Nash for creating Isabel, because I'm now remembering that I read that poem when I was a girl, and found it cheering for reasons I maybe didn't entirely understand at the time.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yes! That's a great one, too! Really it's going to be a challenge to whittle it down this month!

[debriswoman]

Such a great poem:-)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I hope you enjoy most of the selections for the month!

[luthienberen]

Quickly popping in to wish you a fun month of poetry!

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thanks! I know it isn't your thing, so if you unfollow til May, I shan't be offended.

[luthienberen]

Thanks :) I will stay thitherabouts most likely, though I probably won't be commenting much! I am glad you will be having a month of joy sharing poems that touch you -I hope others will share the journey properly with you with much laughter or tears of woe or more as is appropriate!