Poems 110: Six Clerihews

The clerihew was invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley when he was just 16 years old sometime in the first couple of decades of the 20^th century.

This poetic form consists of 4 whimsical lines about famous people. It is biographical and made up of irregular lines and meter. The rhyme structure is AABB. The first line must end with the subject’s name – most of the time the subject’s name IS the first line.

This poetic form was used by G.K. Chesterton and W.H. Auden (among others), so I’m in good company.

President Biden
Went into hidin’
Down in his basement.
They’ve made no replacement.

Kamala Harris
Went off to Paris.
She spoke in French accents
To sound like she made sense.

Anthony Fauci
Was feeling grouchy.
He created such boredon
That most folk ignored him.

Ms Jacinda Ardern
Promulgated COVIC restrictions quite stern.
No one took much notice ‘cos
Few knew who she was.

Prime Minister Boris
Wasn’t called Horace.
He called Number 10 his home
But didn’t have a comb.

President Biden
When polls had him slidin’
Said Hunter was the brightest man he knew –
Which is unfortunately true.

To hear the poem read aloud click HERE.