Ogden’s Giraffe

Written for:  Imaginary Gardens With Real Toads – Weekend Challenge:  Play Tennis With A Ghost  (posted by Brendan)
Take a poem by another poet and write a response in the form of a letter.

The Giraffe
by Ogden Nash

I beg you, children, do not laugh
When you survey the tall giraffe.
It’s hardly sporting to attack
A beast that cannot answer back.
Now you and I have shorter necks,
But we can chant of gin and sex;
He has a trumpet for a throat,
And cannot blow a single note.
It isn’t that his voice he hoards;
He hasn’t any vocal cords.
I wish for him, and for is wife,
A voluble girafter life.

My favorite animal is the giraffe.
When he moves his lips I have to laugh.
I do not mean any disrespect
when I gaze in awe at his enormous neck.
I would not like to trade places
when his throat gets sore and he makes faces.
There is no lozenge large enough
to soothe his throat when it gets rough.
If he could speak, he’d have to yodel
to be heard from on high around the global.
I love his spots; they are intriguing,
and he is never accused of misspeaking.

http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com/

About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.
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11 Responses to Ogden’s Giraffe

  1. Sherry says:

    This is great, Sara. Loved it.

    Like

  2. Brendan says:

    Yep, loved it to. Parrots the original with a longer neck and vantage that suggests there’s nothing we can do that compares to what animals simply are. We are the beasts of creation.

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  3. Sanaa Rizvi says:

    I absolutely adore this!💞 Fabulous write, Sara 🙂

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  4. Rosemary Nissen-Wade says:

    What a great response to the wonderful Ogden. You actually outdo him!

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  5. MYRNA ZACH says:

    Nash – My favorite poet next to you

    >

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