Friday, July 29, 2005

Fun on Friday: a Clerihew

Click HERE for a backgrounder on the Clerihew.

G.K. Chesterton called it a "severe and stately form of Free Verse" in his Autobiography.

Here is my imitation of Edward Clerihew Bentley's verse. Drop your own Clerihew creation in the comments, if you like!


the imitation:
Gilbert Keith Chesterton,
The laughing man saw lots of fun.
Cigar, swordstick, cape, crumpled hat,
Six foot four, and enormously fat!


the inspiration:
This man who composed such profound and perfect lines as "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried," stood 6'4" and weighed about 300 pounds, usually had a cigar in his mouth, and walked around wearing a cape and a crumpled hat, tiny glasses pinched to the end of his nose, swordstick in hand, laughter blowing through his moustache.

[Dale Ahlquist. "Who is this guy ... ?"]

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