Escritas — Poems List

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an old

Limerick: There was an old man who felt pert

There was an old man who felt pert
When he wore a pale rose-coloured shirt.
When they said 'Is it pleasant?'
He cried 'Not at present-It's
a little to short -- is my shirt!'

60

Douglas MacArthur

Americans never quit.

42

Jack Handey

To me, truth is not

To me, truth is not some vague, foggy notion. Truth is real. And, at the same time, unreal. Fiction and fact and everything in between, plus some things I can't remember, all rolled into one big 'thing.' This is truth, to me.

101

Edward Lear

Limerick: There Was an Old

Limerick: There Was an Old Man on a Hill

There was an Old Man on a hill,
Who seldom, if ever, stood still;
He ran up and down,
In his Grandmother's gown,
Which adorned that Old Man on a hill.

76

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an Old

Limerick: There was an Old Man of the Wrekin

There was an Old Man of the Wrekin
Whose shoes made a horrible creaking
But they said, 'Tell us whether,
Your shoes are of leather,
Or of what, you Old Man of the Wrekin?'

77

Kathy Seligman

You can't hit a home

You can't hit a home run unless you step up to the plate. You can't catch a fish unless you put your line in the water. You can't reach your goals if you don't try.

41

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an Old

Limerick: There was an Old Man of the Nile,

There was an Old Man of the Nile,
Who sharpened his nails with a file,
Till he cut out his thumbs,
And said calmly, 'This comes
Of sharpening one's nails with a file!'

116

Otomo No Yakamochi

Better never to have met

Better never to have met you in my dream than to wake and reach for hands that are not there.

80

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an Old

Limerick: There was an Old Man of the Dee

There was an Old Man of the Dee,
Who was sadly annoyed by a flea;
When he said, 'I will scratch it,'
They gave him a hatchet,
Which grieved that Old Man of the Dee.

112

Douglas MacArthur

There is no security on

There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity.

54

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an Old

Limerick: There was an Old Man in a boat

There was an Old Man in a boat,
Who said, 'I'm afloat! I'm afloat!'
When they said, 'No! you aint!'
He was ready to faint,
That unhappy Old Man in a boat.

144

Jack Handey

Here's a good gag if

Here's a good gag if you go swimming in a swamp and when you come out you're all covered with leeches. Just say, 'Hey, has anybody seen my raisins' (Because leeches kind of look like big raisins.)

39

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was an Ol

Limerick: There was an Ol Man of Quebec

There was an Ol Man of Quebec,
A beetle ran over his neck;
But he cried, 'With a needle,
I'll slay you, O beadle!'
That angry Old Man of Quebec.

117

Kathy Seligman

You can't reach your goals

You can't reach your goals if you don't try.

27

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was a Young

Limerick: There was a Young Person of Smyrna,

There was a Young Person of Smyrna,
Whose Grandmother threatened to burn her;
But she seized on the cat,
And said, 'Granny, burn that!
You incongruous Old Woman of Smyrna!'

114

Deng Xiaoping

Young leading cadres have risen

Young leading cadres have risen up by helicopter. They should really rise step by step.

78

Ed Meese

You couldn't even prove the

You couldn't even prove the White House staff sane beyond a reasonable doubt.

37

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was a Young

Limerick: There was a Young Lady Whose Bonnet

There was a Young Lady whose bonnet,
Came untied when the birds sate upon it;
But she said: 'I don't care!
All the birds in the air
Are welcome to sit on my bonnet!'

135

Edward Lear

Limerick: There was a Young

Limerick: There was a Young Lady of Norway,

There was a Young Lady of Norway,
Who casually sat on a doorway;
When the door squeezed her flat,
She exclaimed, 'What of that?'
This courageous Young Lady of Norway.

139

Jack Handey

If someone told me it

If someone told me it wasn't 'fashionable' to talk about freedom, I think I'd just have to look him square in the eye and say, 'Okay, YOU TELL ME what's fashionable'.' But he won't. And you know why Because you can't ask someone what's fashionable in a smart-alecky way like that. You have to be friendly and say, 'By the way, what's fashionable'

53

Edward Lear

Limerick: The was a Young

Limerick: The was a Young Lady of Bute

The was a Young Lady of Bute,
Who played on a silver-gilt flute;
She played several jigs,
To her uncle's white pigs,
That amusing Young Lady of Bute.

167

Pesach Seder

The willingness to sacrifice is

The willingness to sacrifice is the prelude to freedom.

17

Christina Georgina Rossetti

What Will You Give Me

What Will You Give Me For My Pound?

What will you give me for my pound?
Full twenty shillings round.
What will you give me for my shilling?
Twelve pence to give I'm willing.
What will you give me for my penny?
Four farthings, just so many.

104

Deng Xiaoping

It doesn't matter if a

It doesn't matter if a cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.

88