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​These happy smiling siblings are seeing what is on www.MakeFunOfLife.net and are mildly amused . . . perhaps you will be too . . . 
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In The Night
 
The night was growing old
     As she trudged through snow and sleet;
Her nose was long and cold,
     And her shoes were full of feet.
 
By Author Unknown: as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Liv, Learn, Love, Laugh, Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.
Poor Brother
 
How very sad it is to think
     Our poor benighted brother
Should have his head upon one end,
     His feet upon the other.
 
By Author Unknown: as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, Liv, Learn, Love, Laugh, Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.
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We are MFOL! . . . and there is a lot of nonsense to get to, or in the words of William Shakespeare, “much ado about nothing” . . . so we had better get started right away . . .
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Various Artists - Click Or Tap On Arrow To Play Or Replay Music Or Audio Or Refresh This Page - Such A Lot Of Nonsense

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Picture of a colorful bubble, and the words, Humor And Inspiration And Learning About Nonsense Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t.” -Author Unknown
 
To Be Or Not To Be
 
I sometimes think I’d rather crow
     And be a rooster than to roost
And be a crow. But I dunno.
     A rooster he can roost also,
Which don’t seem fair when crows can’t crow.
     Which may help some. Still I dunno.
Crows should be glad of one thing, though;
     Nobody thinks of eating crow,
While roosters they are good enough
     For anyone unless they’re tough.
There are lots of tough old roosters, though,
     And anyway a crow can’t crow,
So mebby roosters stand more show.
     It looks that way. But I dunno.
 
By Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Animals And Animal Natures Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Don’t talk to me about a man’s being able to talk sense; everyone can talk sense - can he talk nonsense?” -William Pitt the Elder
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read The Spoken Word And Speaking Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
Her Dairy
 
“A milkweed, and a buttercup, and cowslip,” said sweet Mary,
“Are growing in my garden-plot, and this I call my dairy.”
 
By Peter Newell (Peter Sheaf Hersey Newell (1862 - 1924)): as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
Moorlands Of The Not
 
Across the moorlands of the Not
     We chase the gruesome When;
And hunt the Itness of the What
     Through forests of the Then.
Into the Inner Consciousness
     We track the crafty Where;
We spear the Ego tough, and beard
     The Selfhood in his lair.
 
With lassos of the brain we catch
     The Isness of the Was;
And in the copses* of the Whence
     We hear the think bees buzz.
We climb the slippery Whichbark tree
     To watch the Thusness roll
And pause betimes in gnostic rimes
     To woo the Over Soul.
 
By Author Unknown
*copses: small groups of trees
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“Colourless green ideas sleep furiously.” -Noam Chomsky (Avram Noam Chomsky (born 1928)): “Syntactic Structures” (1957); an example of a sentence that is grammatically correct yet meaningless
 
“Nothing is capable to being well set to music that is not nonsense.” -Joseph Addison (1672 - 1719): as quoted in “The Spectator” (21 March 1711), Number 18
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
The Moon Is Up
 
The Moon is up, the Moon is up!
     The larks begin to fly,
And, like a drowsy buttercup,
     Dark Phoebus skims the sky,
The elephant, with cheerful voice,
     Sings blithely on the spray;
The bats and beetles all rejoice,
     Then let me, too, be gay.
 
I would I were a porcupine,
     And wore a peacock’s tail;
To-morrow, if the Moon but shine,
     Perchance I’ll be a whale.
Then let me, like the cauliflower,
     Be merry while I may,
And, ere there comes a sunny hour
     To cloud my heart, be gay!
 
By Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Steps To Happiness By Author Unknown.
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“If half the road was made of jam,
     The other half of bread,
How very nice my walks would be,”
     The greedy infant said.
-Author Unknown
 
“Remember that publishers want to keep the printing presses busy and do not object to nonsense if it can be sold.” -Stanislav Andreski: “Social Sciences as Sorcery” (1972), page 86
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read The Written Word And Writing Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Nonsense wakes up the brain cells. And it helps develop a sense of humor, which is awfully important in this day and age.” -Doctor Seuss (pseudonym of Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 - 1991)): as quoted in Miles Corwin: ‘Author Isn’t Just a Cat in the Hat’ article published in “The Los Angeles Times” (27 November 1983); also in Philip Nel: “Dr. Seuss: American Icon” (2004), page 38
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
Hickory Dickory Dock
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The mouse ran up the clock,
The clock struck one, and down he run,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The bird looked at the clock,
The clock struck two, and away she flew,
     Hickory Dickory Dock
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The dog barked at the clock,
The clock struck three, fiddle-de-dee,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The bear slept on the clock,
The clock struck four, he ran out the door,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The bee buzzed round the clock,
The clock struck five, she went to her hive,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The hen clucked at the clock,
The clock struck six, fiddle-sticks,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The cat ran round the clock,
The clock struck seven, she wanted to get ‘em,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The horse jumped over the clock,
The clock struck eight, he ate some cake,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The cow danced on the clock,
The clock struck nine, she felt so fine,
 
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The pig oinked at the clock,
The clock struck ten, she did it again,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The snake squirmed out of the clock,
The clock struck eleven, he said, “Let me get in,”
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
Hickory Dickory Dock,
     The snail slimed up the clock,
The clock struck twelve, what a sticky self,
     Hickory Dickory Dock!
 
By Author Unknown
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“There are two ways of dealing with nonsense in this world. One is to put nonsense in the right place; as when people put nonsense into nursery rhymes. The other is to put nonsense in the wrong place; as when they put it into educational addresses, psychological criticisms, and complaints against nursery rhymes or other normal amusements of mankind.” -G. K. Chesterton (Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874 - 1936)): “Child Psychology and Nonsense” (15 October 1921)
 
“Don’t, for Heaven’s sake, be afraid of talking nonsense! But you must pay attention to your nonsense.” -Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889 - 1951): “Über Gewissheit” (English: “On Certainty”) (1969), page 56
 
I Always Sneeze
 
Franks and fries, and French fondue
     Beans and burgers and biscuits, too
Chicken, chili, and cheddar cheese
     When I munch too much, I always sneeze!
 
By Author Unknown
Picture of a submarine that looks like a whale, and the words, Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net.
We do declare that to be such wonderful nonsense . . .
 
Riddle: If it takes a woodpecker eight months to peck a four-inch hole in a tree, how long would it take a grasshopper to kick all the seeds out of a pickle four inches long?
Solution: There is no answer for this ridiculous riddle!
 
Tweedle-Dum And Tweedle-Dee
 
Tweedle-dum and Tweedle-dee
     Resolved to have a battle,
For Tweedle-dum said Tweedle-dee
     Had spoiled his nice new rattle.
Just then flew by a monstrous crow,
     As big as a tar-barrel,
Which frightened both the heroes so
     They quite forgot their quarrel.
 
By Author Unknown
 
“I conclude that there is as much sense in nonsense as there is nonsense in sense.” -Anthony Burgess (pseudonym of John Burgess Wilson (1917 - 1993)): “New York Times Book Review” (9 August 1987)
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
King Arthur
 
When good King Arthur ruled the land,
     He was a goodly king:
He stole three pecks of barley meal,
     To make a bag-pudding.
 
A bag-pudding the king did make,
     And stuffed it well with plums;
And in it put great lumps of fat,
     As big as my two thumbs.
 
The king and queen did eat thereof,
     And noblemen beside;
And what they could not eat that night,
     The queen next morning fried.
 
By Author Unknown
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“To appreciate nonsense requires a serious interest in life.” -Gelett Burgess (Frank Gelett Burgess (1866 - 1951)): “The Romance of the Commonplace” (1902), ‘The Sense of Humor,’ page 88
 
I love to stand upon my head
     And think of things sublime
Until my mother interrupts
     And says it’s dinner-time.
-Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Mealtimes And Eating Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“The Red Queen shook her head, ‘You may call it ‘nonsense’ if you like,’ she said, ‘but I’ve heard nonsense, compared with which that would be as sensible as a dictionary!’” -Lewis Carroll (pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1898)): “Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There” (1871), Chapter II
 
There once was a man who said, “How
Shall I manage to carry my cow?
     For if I should ask it
     To get in my basket,
’Twould make such a terrible row.”
-Author Unknown: as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Cattle Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Not far from here, by a white sun, behind a green star, lived the Steelypips, illustrious, industrious, and they hadn’t a care: no spats in their vats, no rules, no schools, no gloom, no evil influence of the moon, no trouble from matter or antimatter - for they had a machine, a dream of a machine, with springs and gears and perfect in every respect. And they lived with it, and on it, and under it, and inside it, for it was all they had - first they saved up all their atoms, then they put them all together, and if one didn’t fit, why they chipped at it a bit, and everything was just fine . . .” -Stanislaw Lem (Stanislaw Herman Lem (1921 - 2006)): “Cyberiad” (1974) at https://english.lem.pl/
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
Three Acres Of Land
 
My father left me three acres of land,
     Sing ivy, sing ivy;
My father left me three acres of land,
     Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!
 
I ploughed it with a ram’s horn,
     Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And sowed it all over with one peppercorn.
     Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!
 
I harrowed it with a bramble bush,
     Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And reaped it with my little penknife,
     Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!
 
I got the mice to carry it to the barn,
     Sing ivy, sing ivy;
And thrashed it with a goose’s quill,
     Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!
 
I got the cat to carry it to the mill,
     Sing ivy, sing ivy;
The miller he swore he would have her paw,
And the cat she swore she would scratch his face,
     Sing holly, go whistle, and ivy!
 
By Author Unknown
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“The nonsense that charms is close to sense.” -Mason Cooley (1927 - 2002): “City Aphorisms” (1993)
 
A Riddle
 
The man in the wilderness asked of me
     How many strawberries grew in the sea.
I answered him as I thought good,
     As many as red herrings grow in the wood.
 
By Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Rhyming Riddles Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Forgive me my nonsense as I also forgive the nonsense of those who think they talk sense.” -Robert Frost (Robert Lee Frost (1874 - 1963)): letter (7 August 1915) to Louis Untermeyer
 
“No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the misfortune is to do it solemnly.” -Michel de Montaigne (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 - 1592)): “Essays” (March 1580), Book III, Chapter I
 
If
 
If all the land were apple-pie,
     And all the sea were ink;
And all the trees were bread and cheese,
     What should we do for drink?
 
By Author Unknown
 
“‘Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and have her nonsense respected.” -Charles Lamb (1775 - 1834)​
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
A Song On King William III
 
As I walked by myself,
     And talked to myself,
Myself said unto me,
     Look to thyself,
Take care of thyself,
     For nobody cares for thee.
 
I answered myself,
     And said to myself,
In the self-same repartee,
     Look to thyself,
Or not look to thyself,
     The selfsame thing will be.
 
By Author Unknown
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
“As Charms are nonsense, Nonsense is a Charm.” -Benjamin Franklin (Benjamin ‘Ben’ Franklin (1706 - 1790)): “Poor Richards Almanack” (1734)
 
There once was a girl of New York
Whose body was lighter than cork;
     She had to be fed
     For six weeks upon lead,
Before she went out for a walk.
-Cosmo Monkhouse (William Cosmo Monkhouse (1840 - 1901)): as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
 
“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.” -Author Unknown: a nonsensical pseudo-Latin text used for demonstrating typography and layout, derived from chopped up words and phrases from Marcus Tullius Cicero (also known as Tully or simply Cicero (106 B.C.E. - 43 B.C.E.)): ”De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (English: “The Purposes of Good and Evil”)
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Latin Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Such a shuffling, nonsensical paragraph was, I firmly believe, never put together since the invention of letters. That which I do not, and which, I think, no one can, understand. I shall not meddle with.” -Joseph Ritson
 
“Nonsense and beauty have close connections - closer connections than Art will allow.” -E. M. Forster: “The Longest Journey” (1907), Part I, Chapter 12
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Appearances And Looks Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
“Whenever you come near the human race, there’s layers and layers of nonsense.” -Thornton Wilder (Thornton Niven Wilder (1897 - 1975)): “Our Town” (1938)
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
Lines By A Medium
 
I might not, if I could;
     I should not, if I might;
Yet if I should I would,
     And, shoulding, I should quite!
 
I must not, yet I may;
     I can, and still I must;
But ah! I cannot - nay,
     To must I may not, just!
 
I shall, although I will,
     But be it understood,
If I may, can, shall - still
     I might, could, would, or should!
 
By Author Unknown: as published in Carolyn Wells (Carolyn Wells Houghton (1862 - 1942)): “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Poetry Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
Love - Laugh - Learn - Liv - Visit www.MakeFunOfLife.net
Mingle a little folly with your wisdom;
a little nonsense now and then is pleasant.
[translation to English]
Misce stultitiam consiliis brevem:
Dulce est desipere in loco.
[original Latin]
-Quintus Horatius Flaccus (also known simply as Horace (65 B.C.E. - 8 B.C.E.)): “Carmina,” Book IV, Ode 12, line 27
 
“It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought.” -John Kenneth Galbraith (1908 - 2006): “The Affluent Society” (1958), Chapter 11, section iv
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Minds And Thinking Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
O that I were, where I would be,
     Then should I be where I am not.
But where I am, there must I be,
     And where I would be, I cannot.
-Author Unknown
 
“Yally Bally had a jolly golliwog. Feeling folly, Yally Bally bought his jolly golliwog a dolly made of holly. The golliwog, feeling jolly, named the holly dollie Polly. So Yally Bally’s jolly golliwog’s holly dollie Polly’s also jolly!” -Author Unknown
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the rest of the article, or click or tap on these words to read Tongue Twisters Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
 
A little nonsense now and then
     Is relished by the wisest men.
-Author Unknown
 
This is MFOL! . . . the best bunch of nonsense on the interwebs . . . remember, it is not a waste of time and effort if it brings a smile to someone’s face . . .
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Picture
The Gloop Maker
 
There once was a sailor returning to his ship. Just as he approached the edge of the dock, he slipped and fell into the water between ship and dockside. As he hit the water, the ship began to swing toward the harbor wall, and he would have been crushed to death had not a little man, with great presence of mind, thrown a rope and hauled him to safety.

“Whew, thanks!” said the sailor. “You saved my life. Tell me, is there anything I can do for you in return?”

“Well actually,” said the man, “there is something. I’d really like to work aboard a ship and, in fact, I was just on my way to look for a job when I saw you in the water. If you could, put in a word for me. I’d be greatly obliged.”

“It is as good as done!” said the sailor. He took the little man on board and tracked down the Petty Officer. “This man saved my life just now, and he really would very much like to have a job on the ship.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the Petty Officer. “We have a full ship’s complement, but I’ll certainly put in a word on his behalf to my superior. What does he do?”

“I’m a Gloop Maker,” said the little man eagerly.

Not wishing to appear ignorant in front of his subordinate, the Petty Officer didn’t want to ask what exactly a Gloop Maker was, so he went to see the Chief Petty Officer.

“This man saved the life of one of my sailors,” he told the Chief. “Do you think we could find him a job aboard? He’s a Gloop Maker.”

Not wishing to appear ignorant in front of his subordinate, the Chief Petty Officer asked the Warrant Officer, who asked the Sub-Lieutenant and so on, all the way through the chain of command until the request reached the Captain. After congratulating the little man, the Captain, not wanting to appear ignorant, named him ship’s Gloop Maker and ordered the Supply Officer to provide whatever materials were necessary for work to commence.

The little man asked for a strong block and tackle fitted up on the afterdeck, a small stool, a hammer and chisel, a portable furnace, a big lump of iron, a few pounds of copper, and several more of silver.

As the ship sailed, the little man set his stool alongside the chunk of iron, lit the furnace, and began to melt down the copper and silver. Then, with much hammering and chiseling, he began to add blobs of copper and curlicues of silver to the sides of the lump of iron.

Each day crewmembers stopped and stared at the wondrously strange thing taking shape at the ship’s stern. But not wishing to appear ignorant, nobody asked the Gloop Maker what he actually was making.

“Coming along nicely,” said the captain as he made his daily rounds. “Any idea precisely when it will be ready?”

“Oh yes,” said the man. “On 15 July at 1400 hours. That’s when it’ll be ready, and I’d like the crew assembled on deck at that hour, if you please, sir.”

And so, the great day came, the men assembled and the Gloop Maker put down his hammer and chisel. Proudly he stood back and indicated that the block and tackle should be lowered onto his masterpiece, with copper and silver curlicues gleaming in the sun. Carefully he directed it to be lifted from the deck and swung round until it hung over the sea at the ship’s stern.

“Ready, steady, go!” he cried, and he cut it free. And, as it fell into the deep blue waters of the Atlantic it went, “Gloop!”

​By Author Unknown
 
The End - But wait, there is much more nonsense just below!
Published on
​The Whango Tree
 
The woggly bird sat on the whango tree,
     Nooping the rinkum corn,
And graper and graper, alas! grew he,
     And cursed the day he was born.
His crute was clum and his voice was rum,
     As curiously thus sang he,
“Oh, would I’d been rammed and eternally clammed
     Ere I perched on this whango tree.”
 
Now the whango tree had a bubbly thorn,
     As sharp as a nootie’s bill,
And it stuck in the woggly bird’s umptum lorn
     And weepadge, the smart did thrill.
He fumbled and cursed, but that wasn’t the worst,
     For he couldn’t at all get free,
And he cried, “I am gammed, and injustibly nammed
     On the luggardly whango tree.”
 
And there he sits still, with no worm in his bill,
     Nor no guggledom in his nest;
He is hungry and bare, and gobliddered with care,
     And his grabbles give him no rest;
He is weary and sore and his tugmut is soar,
     And nothing to glob has he,
As he chirps, “I am blammed and corruptibly jammed,
     In this cuggerdom whango tree.”
 
By Author Unknown (1840): as published in Carolyn Wells: “The Nonsense Book” (1910)
Published on
​Robinson Crusoe
 
     The night was thick and hazy
     When the Piccadilly Daisy
Carried down the crew and captain in the sea;
     And I think the water drowned ’em,
     For they never, never found ’em,
And I know they didn’t come ashore with me.
 
     Oh! ‘twas very sad and lonely
     When I found myself the only
Population on this cultivated shore;
     But I’ve made a little tavern
     In a rocky little cavern,
And I sit and watch for people at the door.
 
     I spent no time in looking
     For a girl to do my cooking,
As I’m quite a clever hand at making stews;
     But I had that fellow Friday
     Just to keep the tavern tidy,
And to put a Sunday polish on my shoes.
 
     I have a little garden
     That I’m cultivating lard in,
As the things I eat are rather tough and dry;
     For I live on toasted lizards,
     Prickly pears, and parrot gizzards,
And I’m really very fond of beetle-pie.
 
     The clothes I had were furry,
     And it made me fret and worry
When I found the moths were eating off the hair;
     And I had to scrape and sand ’em,
     And I boiled
em and I tanned ’em,
Till I got the fine morocco suit I wear.
 
     I sometimes seek diversion
     In a family excursion
With the few domestic animals you see;
     And we take along a carrot
     As refreshments for the parrot,
And a little can of jungleberry tea.
 
     Then we gather as we travel
     Bits of moss and dirty gravel,
And we chip off little specimens of stone;
     And we carry home as prizes
     Funny bugs of handy sizes,
Just to give the day a scientific tone.
 
     If the roads are wet and muddy
     We remain at home and study, -
For the Goat is very clever at a sum, -
     And the Dog, instead of fighting,
     Studies ornamental writing,
While the Cat is taking lessons on the drum.
 
     We retire at eleven,
     And we rise again at seven;
And I wish to call attention as I close,
     To the fact that all the scholars
     Are correct about their collars,
And particular in turning out their toes.
 
By Charles E. Carryl
 
Charles Edward Carryl was born on 30 December 1841 in New York, United States of America. He was married to Mary Wetmore in 1869. He became a businessman, a stockbroker, and a writer of children’s literature. Charles Edward Carryl passed on at 78 years of age on 3 July 1920.
Published on
Ferry Me Across The Water
 
“Ferry me across the water,
     Do, boatman, do.”
“If you’ve a penny in your purse
     I’ll ferry you.”
 
“I have a penny in my purse,
     And my eyes are blue;
So ferry me across the water,
     Do, boatman, do.”
 
“Step into my ferry-boat,
     Be they black or blue,
And for the penny in your purse
     I’ll ferry you.”
 
By Christina Rossetti
 
Christina Georgina Rossetti was born on 5 December 1830 in London, England. She became a poet. She is known for “Goblin Market” and “Remember,” among other works. Christina Georgina Rossetti passed on at 64 years of age on 29 December 1894 in London, England.
Published on
I Would If I Could
 
I would, if I could;
     If I couldn’t, though, how could I?
I couldn’t without I could, could I?
     Could you, without you could?
Could ye? could ye? could ye?
     You couldn’t without you could, could ye?
Oh that I were where I would be!
     Then should I be where I am not;
But where I am, there I must be,
     And where I would be I can not.
But, I would, if I could and I would be;
     There where I am when I’m not.
Could ye? could ye? could ye?
     Be there where you are when you’re not?
Be there where you are when you’re not?
     Could ye? could ye? could ye?
 
By Author Unknown
Published on
The Optimistic Skipper
 
The skipper of the Mary Ann, a jolly chap is he;
     With jaunty jest and merriment he gaily sails the sea.
He knows no navigation and he missed his course a mile,
     But said, “It doesn’t matter, so long as I can smile.”
He ran against an island, and he almost sank the ship -
      “Well, never mind!” he brightly said, “we’ll have a cheerful trip.”
He did not see the gathering storm, but roared a sprightly song.
      “O sailors, keep a-singing, and the way will not be long!”
 
The tempest blew him eastward and the tempest blew him west;
     Whatever way he travelled, he liked that way the best.
He lost his course entirely, but he never lost his grin;
     Said he, “The bark of laughter is the ship to travel in!”
And somewhere on the ocean, from the tropics to the pole,
     The storms are still a-buffeting that optimistic soul.
He knows no navigation, but, “What’s the odds?” asks he,
      “So long as I am sailing on the top side of the sea?”
 
By Author Unknown
Published on
​Hide And Seek
 
When I am alone,
     and quite alone,
I play a game,
     and it’s all my own.
 
I hide myself
     Behind myself,
And then I try
     To find myself.
 
I hide in the closet,
     Where no one can see;
Then I start looking
     Around for me.
 
I hide myself
     And look for myself;
There once was a shadow
     I took for myself.
 
I hide in a corner;
     I hide in the bed;
And when I come near me
     I pull in my head!
 
By A. B. Shiffrin
Published on
Scintillate, Scintillate, Globule Vivific
(An Obfuscation of the Traditional Words and Tune)
 
Scintillate, scintillate, globule vivific
     Fain would I fathom thy nature specific
Loftily poised in the ether capacious
     Strongly resembling a gem carbonaceous!
 
When torrid Phoebus removeth his presence
     Ceasing to lamp us with fierce incandescence
Then you illumine the regions supernal
     Scintillate, scintillate, semper nocturnal.
 
The traveler on lusterless peregrination
     Gratefully hails your minute coruscation
He could not determine his journey’s direction
     But for your bright scintillating protection.
 
By Author Unknown
 
The above work is a parody, or imitation for humorous purposes, of the poem and song, “The Star” by Jane Taylor, which is shown on the Nature Page under the World Page on the Make Fun Of Life! Website.
 
Vocabulary and Spelling Words
 
• Capacious, adjective: vast; spacious.
• Carbonaceous, adjective: said chiefly of rocks or sediments, consisting of or containing carbon or its compounds, as for example, diamonds and coal.
• Coruscation, verb: to reflect or emanate light; to sparkle or glitter.
• Ether, noun: the clear sky; the upper regions of air beyond the clouds.
• Fain, adverb: with pleasure; gladly.
• Fathom, verb: understand after much thought, as for example, a difficult problem or an enigmatic person.
• Globule, noun: a small round particle of a substance; a drop.
• Incandescence, noun: the emission of radiation, as for example, light, from something of intense heat, such as fire or a star.
• Loftily, adjective: extending high into the atmosphere or sky.
• Lusterless, adjective: not bright or shiny; dull.
• Obfuscate, verb: render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible; to deliberately make something confusing.
• Peregrination, noun: a journey, especially one that is long and meandering, often on foot.
• Phoebus, noun: also known as Apollo; a character in Greek and Roman mythology.
• Poised, adjective: having a composed and self-assured manner.
• Scintillate, verb: to emit flashes of light; sparkle.
• Semper, adverb: Latin word, meaning always.
• Supernal, adjective: relating to the sky or heavens; celestial.
• Torrid, adjective: full of difficulty or tribulation; very hot and dry.
• Vivific, adjective: imparting spirit or vivacity.
 

Disclaimer: Definitions for words shown reflect their meaning within the work; some words may have additional meanings and usages beyond those given. Persons having concerns pertaining to this matter may wish to consult a professional grammarian or other expert in the various fields of languages and linguistics. We are not responsible for any misuse of words or resulting consequences from said misuse.
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