Poetic Form 6: Nash-ing the Animals

The Panther
The panther is like a leopard,
Except it hasn't been peppered.
Should you behold a panther crouch,
Prepare to say Ouch.
Better yet, if called by a panther,
Don't anther.~Ogden Nash

As part of our current poetry research project, students have had the opportunity to seek out poets they have not previously read, as well as revisit favorites from the past, like Shel Silverstein. A literary cousin of sort to Shel is Ogden Nash. Ogden Nash wrote many poems in his lifetime. He is known for his pun-like writing style and the fact that some of his words are purposefully misspelled for comic effect. Some of most popular were about animals. Nash's inventive rhyming words and creative spelling easily provoke giggles among those who read his works.

Here's some easy-to-follow-steps to getting started:

1. Review some examples from Ogden Nash.

2. Select two animals to draft about: alligator, monkey, giraffe, zebra, wildebeast, frog, kangaroo, cheetah, wombat, coyote, lion, tiger, or any other one you think is “fun.”

3. Find 3-4 words that rhyme with your animal.
a.) Two great places to look for words are: rhyming dictionaries and www.rhymezone.com.
b) practice pairing the words up with your chosen animal (s) until you find a poetic match that amuses you.
c) It’s okay to be creative with your spelling if you can’t find an exact match (just like Ogden Nash)!

4. Your final poems should be no less than three lines in length.

Read Up and Write On!