Tuesday, February 14, 2012

A VALENTINE VERSARY

A
VALENTINE
Greeting
from one of my all-time favourite versifiers,
Mr OGDEN NASH

To My Valentine

More than a catbird hates a cat,
Or a criminal hates a clue,
Or the Axis hates the United States,
That's how much I love you.

I love you more than a duck can swim,
And more than a grapefruit squirts,
I love you more than a gin rummy is a bore,
And more than a toothache hurts.

As a shipwrecked sailor hates the sea,
Or a juggler hates a shove,
As a hostess detests unexpected guests,
That's how much you I love.

I love you more than a wasp can sting,
And more than the subway jerks,
I love you as much as a beggar needs a crutch,
And more than a hangnail irks.

I swear to you by the stars above,
And below, if such there be,
As the High Court loathes perjurious oathes,
That's how you're loved by me.

Image: Autograph and self-portrait by Ogden Nash


2 comments:

Lo said...

Oh, Brian......I missed this on V day......Ogden Nash is my idol, my very favorite since my teens.....I loved this and also the self portrait.

Thanks.

Brian Sibley said...

My idol, too! I first came across him in the form of his verses written for Saint Saen's Carnival of the Animals: I had a disc version released by Disney with Camarata and his Orchestra and narration (on the British version) by BBC broadcaster Peter (Pete) Murray.

This led me to Nash's children's poem, Custard the Dragon and thence to his adult verse, much of which I committed to memory and have never forgotten.

One of my favourites:

I could not eat a kangaroo
But many fine Australians do.
Those with cookbooks as well as boomerangs
Prefer them as tasty kangaroomeringues...

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