Hiawatha is so very good to parody here's my favourite one
The Meeting
In the long and boring meeting, in the hot and boring meeting, there was shouting by the Chairman, bullying almost by the Chairman, people rose on points of order, caused chaos with points of order, argument became emotive, all the words used were emotive, and this was the obvious reason passion overcame all reason.
Everything was twice repeated, sometimes more than twice repeated, as they worked through the agenda (it seemed elastic, that agenda, becoming longer, never shorter), their utterances grew long, not shorter, it was just like spreading butter, words went further, like spread butter, covering each subject thinly, covering almost nothing thinly.
People talked about resigning, disgruntled talk was of resigning, accusations in a covey flew like partridge in a covey, yet this was not entertaining -- it sounds like drama, entertaining as the TV scenes in courtrooms -- this was NOT like scenes in courtrooms, it contrived to be quite boring, really quite immensely boring.
It was more like scenes where children shout insults at other children, it was like a verbal punch-up, more long-winded than a punch-up, but the bitterness and anger brought out words like knives in anger, it was more like verbal murder if there's boredom in a murder -- any moderate survivors in the end FELT like survivors.
Like being rescued from a snowstorm, or blinding words whirled like a snowstorm; they could only cry for brandy, go to pubs and order brandy, they felt they deserved some medals like the Army's campaign medals -- through the tumult and the shouting (quiet was strange after the shouting) they achieved the peace of something through the meeting -- which was something.
It was like peace after beating heads on walls, like hours of beating heads on walls and never stopping -- till at last the joy of stopping seemed a truly great achievement, lack of pain, a great achievement, it's so lovely when you stop it! Negative delight, to stop it, flooded through them after the meeting at the long hot boring meeting!"
By Gavin Ewart, taken from "101 Poems to Keep You Sane", edited by Daisy Goodwin
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Date: 2011-01-21 05:43 pm (UTC)The Meeting
In the long and boring meeting,
in the hot and boring meeting,
there was shouting by the Chairman,
bullying almost by the Chairman,
people rose on points of order,
caused chaos with points of order,
argument became emotive,
all the words used were emotive,
and this was the obvious reason
passion overcame all reason.
Everything was twice repeated,
sometimes more than twice repeated,
as they worked through the agenda
(it seemed elastic, that agenda,
becoming longer, never shorter),
their utterances grew long, not shorter,
it was just like spreading butter,
words went further, like spread butter,
covering each subject thinly,
covering almost nothing thinly.
People talked about resigning,
disgruntled talk was of resigning,
accusations in a covey
flew like partridge in a covey,
yet this was not entertaining --
it sounds like drama, entertaining
as the TV scenes in courtrooms --
this was NOT like scenes in courtrooms,
it contrived to be quite boring,
really quite immensely boring.
It was more like scenes where children
shout insults at other children,
it was like a verbal punch-up,
more long-winded than a punch-up,
but the bitterness and anger
brought out words like knives in anger,
it was more like verbal murder
if there's boredom in a murder --
any moderate survivors
in the end FELT like survivors.
Like being rescued from a snowstorm,
or blinding words whirled like a snowstorm;
they could only cry for brandy,
go to pubs and order brandy,
they felt they deserved some medals
like the Army's campaign medals --
through the tumult and the shouting
(quiet was strange after the shouting)
they achieved the peace of something
through the meeting -- which was something.
It was like peace after beating
heads on walls, like hours of beating
heads on walls and never stopping --
till at last the joy of stopping
seemed a truly great achievement,
lack of pain, a great achievement,
it's so lovely when you stop it!
Negative delight, to stop it,
flooded through them after the meeting
at the long hot boring meeting!"
By Gavin Ewart, taken from "101 Poems to Keep You Sane", edited by Daisy Goodwin