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The Microbe
by
Hilaire Belloc

The Microbe is so very small
You cannot make him out at all,
But many sanguine people hope
To see him through a microscope.
His jointed tongue that lies beneath
A hundred curious rows of teeth;
His seven tufted tails with lots
Of lovely pink and purple spots,
On each of which a pattern stands,
Composed of forty separate bands;
His eyebrows of a tender green;
All these have never yet been seen--
But Scientists, who ought to know,
Assure us that they must be so ...
Oh! let us never, never doubt
What nobody is sure about!
This poem is in the public domain.

Purchase a framed print of this poem.

Hilaire Belloc (1870 - 1953) was born in France to a French attorney and an English feminist writer. The family moved to England while Hilaire was still a toddler. A friend of sci-fi writer H. G. Wells and playwright George Bernard Shaw, Hilaire was a devout Catholic and successful journalist who also wrote inspirational poetry, cautionary tales, nonfiction, and children’s verse, authoring more than 150 books during his lifetime. Considered one of the brilliant thinkers of the 20th century, his essays and observations on history remain in great esteem even today.

(from www.yourdailypoem.com)

Tags: humor, poem of the day, science

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elenbarathi.livejournal.com

Apr. 9th, 2015 12:00 pm (UTC)

Haha, I love Belloc! "As a friend to the children, commend me the Yak..."

... now I've got to go look up 'Toad Suckers' and post it on

greatpoets. I first heard it long ago, recited by a friend at a fire, who told me it was part of a whole book of verse written as revenge on schoolteachers who forced children to recite poetry. Ah, here it is: The 'Them' Poems (http://www.lazyka.com/linernotes/thesongs/ThemPoems.htm) by Mason Williams.

Edited 2015-04-09 12:05 pm (UTC)

med_cat

Apr. 9th, 2015 09:04 pm (UTC)

Hee hee ;)

I've actually liked reciting poetry, myself ;)

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