by Arthur Guiterman
"Aspiring Man, by learned pens
Once classed as Homo sapiens,
Is now, the poor, deluded chap,
Correctly labeled, Homo sap."
Recently, I came across the poetry of Arthur Guiterman, and I couldn't help going gaga over his brilliant social commentaries, so full of humor, and so pithy. I confess that before reading him recently, I hadn't heard of him, so I searched over the Internet and found that Arthur Guiterman was an American poet, born in 1871, and died in 1943. His poems are best known for the modern humor and the easy rhyme that make them so very accessible for readers of all ages. He has talked of modern progress in his poems, and his philosophy branches out from the way of things as they were getting shaped up in the early 20th Century. His rhyming couplets are way too funny.
[Sample these: "First dentistry was painless;
Then bicycles were chainless
.....
Now motor roads are dustless,
The latest steel is rustless,
Our tennis courts are sodless,
Our new religions, godless."
or
"The grizzly bear, whose potent hug,
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar's bust is on the shelf,
And I don't feel so well myself."]
He genuinely needs to be read by you, my friends, if you are unfamiliar with his works. Celebrate his humor. Laugh Out Loud!
3 comments:
It's been a revelation for me too, buddy. Thanks for this post, and for introducing me to the works of this poet. More such posts are welcome from you to cover diverse literary works and their creators.
Reminds me of Sukumar Ray,
who too was a sheer genius in terms of his humorous offerings, and 'nonsense rhyme'.
Here's a favorite Arthur Guiterman poem for you, Ani:
The skeleton is hiding in the closet as it should,
The needle's in the haystack and the trees are in the wood,
The fly is in the ointment and the froth is on the beer,
The bee is in the bonnet and the flea is in the ear.
The meat is in the coconut, the cat is in the bag,
The dog is in the manger and the goat is on the crag,
The worm is in the apple and the clam is on the shore,
The birds are in the bushes and the wolf is at the door.
LAUGH ON~
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