Thanks, I'm in. Out of the poetry I've read for my literature courses, I got the most laughter from James Russell Lowell's dialect poems--which remind me of internet comments with bad spelling. I already have a poor understanding of properly spelled poetry; his dialect poems were even more unintelligible, which was funny to me. Here's an example (it comes before the poem which is much longer): from The Biglow Papers - A Letter
James Russell Lowell
From Mr. Ezekiel Biglow of Jaalam to the Hon. Joseph T. Buckingham, Editor of the Boston Courier, enclosing a poem of his son, Mr. Hosea Biglow.
Mister Eddyter:--Our Hosea wuz down to Boston last week, and he see a cruetin Sarjun 1 a struttin round as popler as a hen with 1 chicking, with 2 fellers a drummin and fifin arter him like all nater. the sarjunt he thout Hosea hed n't gut his i teeth cut cos he looked a kindo's though he'd jest com. down, so he al'lated to hook him in, but Hosy wood n't take none o' his sarse Vall he hed much as 20 Rooster's tales stuck onto his coat and trousis, let alone wut nater hed sot in his featers, to make a 6 pounder out on.
*1 Recruiting sergeant. President Polk had been authorized to employ the militia and call out 50,000 volunteers.
Wal, Hosea he com home considerabal riled, and arter I'd gone to bed I heern Him a thrashin round like a short-tailed Bull in fli-time. The old Woman ses she to me ses she, Zekle, ses he, our Hosee's gut the chollery or suthin anuther ses she, don't you Bee skeered, ses I, he 's oney amakin Rottery ses i, he's ollers on hand at that ere busynes like Da & martin,2 and shure enuf, cum mornin, Hosy he cum down stares full chizzle, hare on eend and cote tales flyin, and sot rite of to go reed his varses to Parson Wilbur bein he haint aney grate shows o' book larnin himself, bimeby he cum back and sed the parson wuz dreffle tickled with Vem as i hoop you will Be, and said they wuz True grit.
*2 Day and Martin: makers of shoe polish, who advertised in verse.
Hosea ses taint hardly fair to call 'em hisn now, cos the parson kind o' slicked off sum o' the last varses, but he told Hosee he did n't want to put his ore in to tetch to the Rest on vem, bein they wuz verry well As thay wuz, and then Hosy ses he sed suthin a nuther about Simplex Mundishes3 or sum sech feller, but I guess Hosea kind o' did n't hear him, for I never hearn o v nobody o' that name in this villadge, and I've lived here man and boy 76 year cum next tater diggin, and thair aint no wheres a kitting spryer 'n I be.
EDIT:Added an e to my "befor" and a seemingly necessary semicolon to my own writing. Changed "these poems" to "his poems".
Post edited July 31, 2013 by khnk222
