EDWARD LEAR'S BIRTHDAY AGAIN

I wrote and posted this on 12 May 2012 and here it is again because, albeit four years on, it's Edward Lear's birthday again, born 204 years ago. 

THE 200TH YEAR OF EDWARD LEAR

Edward Lear, the poet of nonsensical stuff,

Took his pen and his pad to his desk,

He took some funny and plenty of punny

To compose something quite humoresque.

Mr Lear looked over to his cat on the chair

And hummed a hummable tune,

“O Pussycat, Pussycat, O how I pray,

you’d get your whiskers out of that tray,

I pray,

I pray,

I need your help with my writing today.”

The Cat said to Lear: “You taskmaster you,

Happy to help but me how?”

“I’ve got an idea,” said Lear to the Cat,

“so I need your attention right now.

“What if you and a bird that can hoot,

decided to head for the ocean,

with a nectar supply and loads of cash,

would you ever consider the notion,

the notion,

the notion,

would it be too much of a commotion?”

The Cat put his paw to his chin in a ponder,

And with a fur-bally cough cleared his throat:

“I think it’s got legs, I think it might work,

but what colour would be the boat?”

Lear sat up and pondered himself,

Then gave the thumbs up and a nod:

“I’ve got it, I think, not blue, red or pink,

not blue, red or pink,

not blue, red or pink,

but the colour of peas in a pod.”

And so was born a world famous verse,

From a meeting of poet and cat,

The owl and the others signed up for the gig

And that, my dear readers, was that.”