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John Millen

Nonsense poems
A poem should always make you feel something. It should make you feel sad, happy or inspired. 
But nonsense poems are special. They make you laugh because they are silly. The poet wants you to expect the unexpected and have a giggle. 
A nonsense poem doesn't really mean anything and it doesn't make any sense. It can be long or short. A good nonsense poem can contain one silly thought or it can be full of foolish ideas and images. 
If a nonsense poem makes you say 'How ridiculous!', it's a great success.
The bird and the feline 
The Owl and the Pussycat (www.rhymes.org.uk/ the_owl_and_the_pussycat.htm) is a famous nonsense poem written by English poet Edward Lear in 1871. 
It tells the silly story of an owl getting married to a cat. The wedding service is conducted by a turkey and the chief guest is a pig.
now do this
1 How many verses does The Owl and The Pussycat have? Read it aloud. 
Does it have a good rhythm? Does it rhyme? 
What is the structure of the poem? Does each verse have the same structure or is each verse different?
2 How many 'silly' ideas can you count in the first four lines of the poem?
3 What is a 'pussycat' and what is a 'piggy-wiggy'?
a. a young child's word for a cat and a pig
b. an old-fashioned word for a cat and a pig
4 Look up the following words in your dictionary.
a. to tarry; b. mince; c. quince; d. honey; e. to be willing; f. fowl
5 There is one phrase in the poem that Lear made up himself. Can you find it? 
6 What do you think about the length of the poem? Is it too long? Too short? Or is it just right?
7 Write a short newspaper article about the marriage of the owl and the pussycat. Give them names and add some silly ideas of your own.
How to write a nonsense poem
1 To write your own nonsense poem all you need is an imagination and a sense of humour.
2 Make your first nonsense poem short. Try writing a single verse first. 
3 Think of a really foolish idea and write down some ideas and silly situations that grow from this first idea.
4 Find an online rhyming dictionary and try to make some of the lines in your poem rhyme.
5 Keep each line fairly short.
6 No idea or image is too stupid to go into your poem.
7 Make sure you are having fun when you are writing your poem. If it becomes hard work, stop writing.
8 Speak aloud to yourself as you are writing your poem.
9 When you've finished your poem and feel really proud of it, read it to other people. Don't keep it to yourself. Show your teachers and friends. Read it to your family.
And finally ...
The phrase Edward Lear made up is 'runcible spoon'. It succeeds in sounding funny, but only Lear himself knew what it meant.
Answers:
December 1
Structure: 4/7/1/9/5/2/8/3/6
The story: 1. g, 2. m, 3. h, 4. j, 5. a, 6. i, 7. b, 8. c, 9. k, 10. d, 11. f 
Reading comprehension: 1. d, 2. a, 3. c, 4. c



The Owl and the Pussycat