Poem by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

After a Visit to the Natural History Museum

This is the Wiggledywasticus,
    Very remarkable beast.
Nose to tail an eighth of a mile;
Took him an acre or two to smile;
Took him a quarter 'f an hour to wink;
Swallowed a pond for his morning drink
Oh! would it had been vouchsafed to us
Upon the Wiggledywasticus
    Our wondering eyes to feast!
 
This is the Ptoodlecumtumpsydyl,
    Rather unusual bird.
Hand a mouth before and behind;
Ate whichever way he'd a mind;
Spoiled his digestion, so they say,
Pindled and dwindled quite away,
Or else he might have been living still,
The singular Ptoodlecumtumpsydyl.
    A pity, upon my word!
 
This is the Ichthyosnortoryx,
    Truly astonishing fish.
Used to snort in a terrible way;
Scared the lobsters to death, they say;
Had a nose like a tea-kettle spout;
Broke it snorting, and so died out.
Sad! if he had n't got into this fix,
We might have made of the 'Snortoryx
    A very acceptable dish.

1. The Gingham Umbrella
2. Valentine's Day
3. Prince Tatters
4. Mrs Snipkin and Mrs Wobblechin
5. Where Helen Sits

Print

1635 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version