Monday, April 25, 2011

Poetry Challenge: Nonsense Poem.

I know it has been far too long since I have challenged my readers to, well, a challenge. So here's one, I know I have one reader at least who would be game for this one.

Nonsense poetry is one of my favorite kinds, as there are pretty much no rules. Many different poets at least dabbled in the field of nonsense poetry, and a few came up with quite popular attempts. Here are two of my favorites.

e e cummings never did care for most rules, as is evidenced by the typical non-punctuation and non-capitalization of his name. My favorite of his poems is the following.

anyone lived in a pretty how town
by e e cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

I know it may seem extremely alien, but I promise if you read it through a few times the characters will materialize. I want you to make the discovery yourself, however. I think of this as a nonsense poem only in the way that he disregards the use of grammar in its standard sense, which is why the poem seems nonsensical. But it has an order of its own design that slowly becomes apparent.

The second poem that always leaps to mind when I think of nonsense poetry is Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

"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 manxome foe he sought—
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

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

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade 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! Callooh! Callay!"
He chortled in his joy.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

Again, there is plenty of language that makes pretty much no sense on first reading, but if you look at it a few more times you can imagine what each of Carroll's made-up words could mean. It's almost like discovering a new language. Don't worry about getting a "right answer" to what it means. If it makes sense to you, I think you've succeeded.

If you are looking for more examples, I suggest Shel Silverstein and Dr. Seuss, for two. And further explication and other poets to look up can be found here.

Now, the hard(er) part. Let's try to write some nonsense ourselves. Here's mine, which really seems to channel Shel Silverstein.

Fred the Wonder Horse

He flies sideways, all hunter green,
He’s stouter than a soup tureen.
He smiles, even when he’s mean.
He’s Fred the wonder horse.

The first time I saw him, I laughed.
His one wing made him appear halfed.
Try to describe him and you’ll look daft.
He’s Fred the wonder horse.

On Saturdays he grocery shops
and dances on the chimney tops.
Don’t let him lick your lollipops!
He’s Fred the wonder horse.

He says he comes from Baltimore.
You can’t find him at any store.
He’s full of knock-knock jokes galore.
He’s Fred the wonder horse.

He loves to sing “Fiddle-dee-dee!”
and my friends, they all laugh at me,
‘Cause I’m the only one who can see
Fred the wonder horse.

Someday he’ll wake me from my sleep
and we’ll swim in the lake so deep,
then late at night back home we’ll creep,
me and Fred the wonder horse.

That was really fun once I got inspired. Thanks to my wonderful husband for the basic idea! Look around you for an odd idea. Eat something strange and try to remember your dreams. Better yet, ask your young child for an idea, if you have one around. Please share what you discover with me!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Okay; the fruits of my uncaffeinated Tuesday-morning brain:
-
Penguins.
Yes, penguins--
Sculling their boats
On the waves of my dreams--
Again.

Penguins.
Those penguins.
There by the side
Of the Elephants' pen,
On stilts.

Penguins.
Why, penguins?
Flapping their wings
As they dive-bomb my house
With eels.

Penguins.
The penguins
Raiding my fridge
In their search for more cheese
And beer.

Penguins
Are penguins.
Dreams are just dreams.
They are gone when you wake
From sleep.
-
cicely

(It feels pretty forced, after the first stanza. Maybe I'll try again later.)

Minerva said...

Bravo, Cicely!
Your dreams sound like mine. I once had one about a beach party in which all the guests were dressed in different colored dog costumes. :) Feel free to fiddle with your poem all you want, or post another. I love these things.
1,000 points for the creative use of penguins...I have never seen anyone imagine them on stilts or raiding someone's fridge for beer. :)

Anonymous said...

A little something in my favorite medium:
-
Cats with pastel fur---
Pink, green, lavender and blue--
Chase electric mice.
-
cicely

The penguins don't look quite as bad on a later review. I think I'll leave them to get on with it. :)

paige said...

love! As usual, i gotta think.
hmmmm....

Anonymous said...

Aha! Found it!

This is the very first nonsense poem I remember ever hearing; my sixth grade teacher read it out in class.
-

I Saw a Peacock, with a fiery tail,
I saw a Blazing Comet, drop down hail,
I saw a Cloud, with Ivy circled round,
I saw a sturdy Oak, creep on the ground,
I saw a Pismire, swallow up a Whale,
I saw a raging Sea, brim full of Ale,
I saw a Venice Glass, Sixteen foot deep,
I saw a well, full of mens tears that weep,
I saw their eyes, all in a flame of fire,
I saw a House, as big as the Moon and higher,
I saw the Sun, even in the midst of night,
I saw the man, that saw this wondrous sight.


-
And here's where I found it: http://www.potw.org/archive/potw193.html

cicely

paige said...

"Ballerwalley Ish!"
was the shout from the tomb
that went 'round 'oer the moon
that rang out far too soon.

"Ballerwalley Shong!"
echoed back the refrain
that was never the same
from the one none could tame.

"Ballerwalley Ish!"
Makes me sad, makes me long
makes me cry, sing sad song
like great bell's final gong.

"Ballerwalley Shong..."
whispers soul covered deep
and might lull one to sleep
when darkness does creep.

Minerva said...

Paige--positively gorgeous. Where did you get your repeated lines from? Did they just pop out of your head, or did you hear one of your children saying it, or what? Just curious. :) 1,000 points for baring your soul in nonsense. Isn't it cathartic? I think I will do more of these.

Anonymous said...

paige, I loved your poem!

cicely

Alicia said...

The nonsensical mind of Mr. Albee
Was accidentally left high in a tree
He searched and searched everywhere
For the gushy blob beneath his hair
Absent-minded anyway
He had left it there for 20 days
It might be there for 20 more
Looking like a scene from the King of Gore
Two kids playing around the tree
Found that brain of Mr. Albee
They thought they'd have a little fun
And try two brains instead of one
From one to two and now it's three
Brains sitting in that great big tree
Those kids are failing classes now
And their poor parents don't know how
And as for old Mr. Albee
Well, he's content as you can see
The tree became a novelty
And everyone wanted to join in on the Great Brain Tree
The name of the town you don't need to know
You'll instantly recognize the moment you go
Everyone walks around all Willy-Snee
Because they've left thier brains in the Great Brain Tree

lovefam6 said...

Love all of them!!!

I totally don't get poetry, but these were fun =)

Kristine, I love your blog even though your poetry challenges are way beyond me!

Minerva said...

I am having such a ball reading everyone's poems! Thanks so much for sharing with me!

Alicia--1,000 points for what would surely be most grade-school boys' favorite poems with all the squishy brains!! It is so fun to say as well!

Dacia--thanks so much for the compliment. I think everyone is intimidated at least somewhat by poetry, especially in the writing of it. I think the key is not to overthink it when setting out to write a poem. For me, that means ignoring my internal editor for a few minutes while I dash something off and not letting myself edit too much once I'm done. That may not work for everyone but I thought it may be helpful for me to share my process.

As for the reading of poetry, I think it helps to know that truly there is no "wrong" interpretation of a poem, so long as you can point to what in the poem itself gave you the meaning you gleaned from it. Does that make sense?

Anonymous said...

aHA! aHAha!

My final stanza has been nagging at me this whole time, begging for the axe, and I've finally come up with a replacement that I like better, and that the poem seems to like better. So (and notwithstanding that everyone else will have moved on, so it will attract few, if any, eyeballs):
-
Penguins.
Yes, penguins--
Sculling their boats
On the waves of my dreams--
Again.

Penguins.
Those penguins.
There by the side
Of the Elephants' pen,
On stilts.

Penguins.
Why, penguins?
Flapping their wings
As they dive-bomb my house
With eels.

Penguins.
The penguins
Raiding my fridge
In their search for more cheese
And beer.

Penguins--
Dream penguins--
Slip from the mind
Like a fish from the beak
Of dreams.

-
cicely

Anonymous said...

(Only, ya know, with italics from the original take, that don't seem to have cut-and-pasted. *sigh*)

cicely