Tag Archives: Poetry

Symbol Poetry

Posted on by The Old Wolf

(Cross-posted from my Livejournal)_

Many years ago I ran across “Waka waka bang splat”, a poem written by Fred Bremmer and Steve Kroese of Calvin College & Seminary of Grand Rapids, Michigan, which appeared in the May/June 1990 issue of Infocus magazine and has since been floating around the Internet.

< > ! * ' ' #
^ " ` $ $ -
! * = @ $ _
% * < > ~ # 4
& [ ] . . /
| { , , SYSTEM HALTED

The poem can only be appreciated by reading it aloud, to wit:

Waka waka bang splat tick tick hash,
Caret quote back-tick dollar dollar dash,
Bang splat equal at dollar under-score,
Percent splat waka waka tilde number four,
Ampersand bracket bracket dot dot slash,
Vertical-bar curly-bracket comma comma CRASH.

I was so delighted by this that I shared it with a columnist at one of Salt Lake’s papers, and it later appeared in one of his columns.

To my delight, I discovered that there is a sequel,which thing I had never before imagined.

Sung to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”:

^ < @ < . @ *
 } " _ #   |
- @ $ & / _ %
! ( ^ I @ | = >
 ; ` + $ ? ^ ?
 , # " ~ | ) ^ G

hat less at less point at star
backbrace double base pound space bar
dash at cash and slash base rate
wow open tab at bar is great
semi backquote plus cash huh DEL
comma pound double tilde bar close BEL

From all appearances, it seems to be a drinking (or a finance) song… and I have no idea who the creator of this little gem is.

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Stevenson: The Lamplighter

Posted on by The Old Wolf

One of my favorite poems as a child.

The Lamplighter

Stevenson, Robert Louis (1850–1894).  A Child’s Garden of Verses and Underwoods.  1913.

MY tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky;
It’s time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.

Now Tom would be a driver and Maria go to sea,
And my papa’s a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I am stronger and can choose what I’m to do,
O Leerie, I’ll go round at night and light the lamps with you!

For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door,
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And O! before you hurry by with ladder and with light;
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him to-night!

Rose Barton: Familiar London (1904)

The Old Wolf has spoken.

Disclaimer