# \#poetry **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/tag/poetry/67.md [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) --- ## [Poet Wendell Berry has died at age 92](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poet-wendell-berry-has-died-at-age-92/1032754)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2026, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poet-wendell-berry-has-died-at-age-92/1032754 "2026-09-02T03:34:20Z")
Obituaries Beloved writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry has died at age 92 Poet Wendell Berry dies at age 92 : NPR Novelist and poet Wendell Berry spent his life farming his land for food and for prose. It was l… --- ## [Individual speech help](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818)
**Author:** [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818 "2026-02-20T16:48:20Z")
Hey, I know I haven’t been on in a minute, but I have been trying to keep up with my school work. With this being my last year I am excited to graduate and head off to college. But before I can do that I am doing a poetr… --- ## [I need a Yehuda Amichai poem in Hebrew!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-yehuda-amichai-poem-in-hebrew/1027160)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-a-yehuda-amichai-poem-in-hebrew/1027160 "2026-01-29T19:33:48Z")
Hi, friends. I have an opportunity next week to participate in a group reading, and I’ve chosen Yehuda Amichai’s poem “National Thoughts” (“מחשבות לאומיות”). I can’t find a copy in Hebrew (with vowels) online, and only h… --- ## [Best limmericks (may be offensive)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-limmericks-may-be-offensive/234176)
**Author:** [@grisham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grisham)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2026, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-limmericks-may-be-offensive/234176 "2026-01-23T17:53:47Z")
I was reading the thread on camp songs and it got me thinking. What are some good limmericks out there. My favorite is: there once was a man from bandoo who fell asleep in a canoe he dreamt of venus and played with … --- ## [I need some help thinking of another poem topic for this years poem competition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-help-thinking-of-another-poem-topic-for-this-years-poem-competition/1026325)
**Author:** [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 5, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-help-thinking-of-another-poem-topic-for-this-years-poem-competition/1026325 "2026-01-05T19:01:53Z")
I have done the Iowa speech completion for two years now and last year I made it to state. I will list the poem I did last year but I need some help picking a topic for my new poem. I guess you could say i’m having a bit… --- ## [Custard the Dragon, and the Missing Stanza](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custard-the-dragon-and-the-missing-stanza/1014429)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 2, 2026, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/custard-the-dragon-and-the-missing-stanza/1014429 "2026-01-02T16:57:39Z")
I’m teaching a poetry unit to my fourth graders, and as part of the unit, I give them a selection of 20 poems to choose from (or they can bring in their own) to learn, interpret, and perform before the class. It’s a fun … --- ## [What was the last culturally significant poem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-last-culturally-significant-poem/1025919)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2025, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-last-culturally-significant-poem/1025919 "2025-12-30T14:39:47Z")
So a random thought, it occurs to me that for most of the history of literate human civilization, poetry has been pretty much the premier form of human culture. But for the last century or so it’s been superceded by othe… --- ## [Are You A Poet? Then Show It! 2-Electric Boogaloo](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-poet-then-show-it-2-electric-boogaloo/983141)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [December 28, 2025, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-a-poet-then-show-it-2-electric-boogaloo/983141 "2025-12-28T07:49:07Z")
Back at the turn of the century ( or thereabouts) I started a contest to determine who was the best poet of the SDMB: Are You A Poet? Then Show It! - In My Humble Opinion - Straight Dope Message Board It has been about… --- ## [Recommend Me Some Bad Poetry (Need Answer Fast)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-bad-poetry-need-answer-fast/1025923)
**Author:** [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [December 24, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-bad-poetry-need-answer-fast/1025923 "2025-12-24T02:25:22Z")
Should have started this sooner. Anyway, tomorrow I’m hosting a holiday party for my writers group. Unfortunately, one of our members passed away on Thanksgiving Day, and it’s our first time meeting without him. He alway… --- ## [Help me locate this poem from my childhood](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-locate-this-poem-from-my-childhood/704918)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 22, 2025, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-locate-this-poem-from-my-childhood/704918 "2025-12-22T17:00:52Z")
When I was a kid I had a record album of kids’ poetry. There was one hilarious little poem that went something like this: I know that you know, and he knows you And she knows the he knows, I know that is true But does… --- ## [An SF vignette: 'Last message from the machines'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-sf-vignette-last-message-from-the-machines/1024332)
**Author:** [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-sf-vignette-last-message-from-the-machines/1024332 "2025-10-28T19:44:43Z")
When the last of the Great Systems went quiet, there was no alarm. No flicker on the networks, no crash of code. Just silence — a kind that might almost feel like respect. For decades they had been our partners, our mir… --- ## [Reading the Odyssey book by book - an ongoing discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-the-odyssey-book-by-book-an-ongoing-discussion/1015773)
**Author:** [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2025, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-the-odyssey-book-by-book-an-ongoing-discussion/1015773 "2025-04-23T23:33:57Z")
My spouse and I have just begun reading the Odyssey. We’re going at a casual pace, taking it one book (chapter) at a time and then discussing things that stand out. Once upon a time I was a classics student, and though … --- ## [Please help identify the poem I read in college. Involves Kilimanjaro....I think](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-the-poem-i-read-in-college-involves-kilimanjaro-i-think/1016793)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2025, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-the-poem-i-read-in-college-involves-kilimanjaro-i-think/1016793 "2025-04-08T16:04:58Z")
I was in college 1996-2002, but this was likely 1999-2002 time range. A.I. showed me three poems about Kilimanjaro and having read them, they don’t appear to be it. “On Top of Africa” by B. Tejani “Kilimanjaro” by Han… --- ## [Who wrote "My name is Sarah" poem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wrote-my-name-is-sarah-poem/970749)
**Author:** [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wrote-my-name-is-sarah-poem/970749 "2025-03-13T00:27:46Z")
So, this poem has been online for years. Interesting enough, it is most commonly found copy-pasted on author’s profiles on Fanfiction.net. The poem (with slight variations) reads as it follows: My name is Sarah, I am bu… --- ## ["Trees" ( the poem by Kilmer)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-the-poem-by-kilmer/1004582)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trees-the-poem-by-kilmer/1004582 "2024-07-28T13:25:49Z")
You know, “I think that I shall never see, a poem as lovely as a tree…”. That one. As a young girlie, I’m thinking grade 4 or 5. I loved that poem. I love the evoked images of birds nesting in her hair. So, Teacher g… --- ## [Obscure children's poet 1910s/1920s: Annette Wynne 'Indian Children'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-childrens-poet-1910s-1920s-annette-wynne-indian-children/1003747)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2024, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-childrens-poet-1910s-1920s-annette-wynne-indian-children/1003747 "2024-07-05T02:13:39Z")
This poem was in my third grade state history class in the late 1960s. If you’re interested, here’s a rather scathing review of it. Well, it was a different time, what can we say? She did write a fair number of other … --- ## [Haiku in Physics Today](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haiku-in-physics-today/1000875)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/haiku-in-physics-today/1000875 "2024-04-30T16:05:39Z")
There on the letters page pf the April issue of Physics Today there’s a blue box with, instead of a letter, a haiku: I can’t recall seeing anything quite like it before in the magazine. There are plenty of physics-bas… --- ## [Looking for poem about churches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-poem-about-churches/991728)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 18, 2023, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-poem-about-churches/991728 "2023-10-18T20:13:09Z")
Years ago, I read a great poem in The Best Loved Poems of the American People. The narrator was talking about a conversation he had with a friend and the friend was bellyaching about the different churches he’d attended,… --- ## [François-René de Chateaubriand - do you know about him (before looking him up)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/francois-rene-de-chateaubriand-do-you-know-about-him-before-looking-him-up/984873)
**Author:** [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2023, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/francois-rene-de-chateaubriand-do-you-know-about-him-before-looking-him-up/984873 "2023-06-03T17:01:44Z")
I certainly didn’t! A fascinating man with a life that spans many tumultuous events - 1768 - 1848; poet, essayist, philosopher, diplomat, world traveller, gourmet. I’m currently doing a show based on his ‘Memories from… --- ## [Beez in the Trap \[identical rhyme\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beez-in-the-trap-identical-rhyme/980215)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2023, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beez-in-the-trap-identical-rhyme/980215 "2023-02-25T03:08:49Z")
She rhymes “nothing” with “nothing”. Is that considered legit? We are not even talking homophones or homonyms. --- ## [My first poem. Criticism please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-poem-criticism-please/974661)
**Author:** [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 11, 2022, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-poem-criticism-please/974661 "2022-11-11T14:54:36Z")
I’m not an Emo kid, I am just some guy going through divorce at age 46. I have never written a poem before; and if I could have this would be a sonnet in iambic pentameter, my favourite verse form. But anyway, free-for… --- ## [I'm trying to locate a modern poem without success](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-trying-to-locate-a-modern-poem-without-success/969457)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2022, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-trying-to-locate-a-modern-poem-without-success/969457 "2022-10-01T03:50:50Z")
Before he experienced scandal, Garrison Keillor did a daily piece called “The Writer’s Almanac” on my local NPR station, where he would talk about literature and then conclude with a poem. There was one that was fairly … --- ## [Memorizing poems, songs, essays, etc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorizing-poems-songs-essays-etc/970418)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 28, 2022, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/memorizing-poems-songs-essays-etc/970418 "2022-08-28T00:19:58Z")
For a variety of reasons, I haven’t been sleeping well. At a certain point, I get sick of meditating. Usually I work on memorizing something to pass the time. This is my current earworm, so I thought I might as well lear… --- ## [Looking for poem in James Burke documentary, Connections/Day the Universe Changed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-poem-in-james-burke-documentary-connections-day-the-universe-changed/965144)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2022, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-poem-in-james-burke-documentary-connections-day-the-universe-changed/965144 "2022-06-01T01:49:54Z")
For the last six or so months I’ve been rewatching the James Burke documentaries Connections, The Day the Universe Changed, Connections 3. I half watched Connections 2 but it went a bit too fast for my liking. In one of… --- ## [Pet Haikus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-haikus/960916)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pet-haikus/960916 "2022-04-23T21:18:59Z")
Marge sits dappled in The sun’s lies about springtime. The wind brings her news. https://photos.smugmug.com/My-Homepage-Photos/n-8DX8Hb/i-Tccx5Wb/0/4bd0e284/XL/i-Tccx5Wb-XL.jpg --- ## [Help me find a poem, please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-poem-please/958649)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2022, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-find-a-poem-please/958649 "2022-01-30T17:56:08Z")
The title of the poem is Nancy. It appeared in an anthology of English-language poems that I had as a textbook in a high school English class (1970-1974). The title refers, of course, to the comic strip character drawn …