Mark Totterdell: Front And Rear
When you look at a large hippopotamus,
You will see it is broadly dichotomous,
At the one end all teeth,
Both above and beneath,
At the other end massively bottomous.
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Max Gutmann:
The Earl of Sandwich
Liked to hold food in his hand, which
Is, of course, what led to his invention of
The disposable glove.
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Barbara Pensom: Hoar Haiku
Two ancient neighbours
Backs bent into question marks
Query life's meaning.
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Tony Peyser: The Misanthrope’s Daily Affirmation
I hope everyone I know gets a clue before
I have to clobber them with a two-by-four.
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Max Gutmann
Gustave Eiffel,
Considered a trifle
Gruff,
Liked to shout at buildings, "Not tall enough!"
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Jerome Betts: Reinterpretation
(“In 1947 . . . B. F. Skinner published his
study on a group of pigeons that showed
even animals are susceptible to the
human condition that is superstition..”)
– Psychologist World website
A sceptic remarked, “Doubts remain.
May the birds not have read Skinner’s brain
And put on a show
To keep up the flow
Of his gifts of fine pelleted grain?”
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Damian Balassone: The Banker
The banker addressed my triumphs and fears
with crocodile smiles and crocodile tears.
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Max Gutmann: The Big One
Pacaderm-trackaderm
Jumbo the Elephant,
Barnum’s abuse having
Twisted his brain,
Seeing the tracks, pulled an
Anna Karenina,
Semi-impulsively
Taking a train.
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Steven Clayman: On Returning to Town Mid-Pandemic
Still
there.
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Alex Steelsmith: Naked Truth
Honoré Daumier (1808-1879) was known for
his insightful caricatures of political figures
and social mores in 19th-century France.
In 1832, Daumier spent six months in prison
for a particularly revealing cartoon of King Louis-Philippe.
Cheekily tweakily
Honoré Daumier,
hitting hypocrisy
right on the nose,
satirized politics,
sociocultural
norms, and the Emperor
minus his clothes.
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Shikhandin: Incy Wincy Virus
Incy wincy virus
Pushed up the deaths in town.
Out came the vaccine
And kept the virus down.
Out went the people to have some fun.
Now incy wincy virus is having a free run.
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Mark Totterdell: Avian Omen
Nine rooks probed for grubs on the green,
Then eight jackdaws arrived on the scene.
They were joined by a jay
And a raven. They say
That the raven was Corvid-19.
