April is National Poetry Month, and that means it's a fun time to write poems. It's also a fun time to write funny poems.
What's funny to one person isn't always funny to another, but I think everyone would smile at the following poem by Laura E. Richards.
Eletelephony
Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant--
No! No! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone--
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I've got it right.)
Howe'er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee--
(I fear I'd better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)
And here's a short, funny poem by Ogden Nash:
The Eel
I don't mind eels
Except as meals
And the way they feels.
What makes these poems funny? They all use word play and rhyme. They even make up their own words! It's fun to break the rules and write, "And the way they feels."
So try writing your own funny poem. Play with words, make up your own, and try out some rhymes.
If you need help getting started, rewrite "The Eel" with your own animal or thing:
The _________
I don't mind ______________
Except as ________________
And the way they ___________.
Here's my poem, "The Cat." Have fun writing your own!
The Cat
I don't mind cats
Except as mats
And the way they get fats.
