On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan

On the Ning Nang Nong
Where the Cows go Bong!
and the monkeys all say BOO!
There's a Nong Nang Ning
Where the trees go Ping!
And the tea pots jibber jabber joo.
On the Nong Ning Nang
All the mice go Clang
And you just can't catch 'em when they do!
So its Ning Nang Nong
Cows go Bong!
Nong Nang Ning
Trees go ping
Nong Ning Nang
The mice go Clang
What a noisy place to belong
is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!!


This could quite possibly be the most best poem ever, due to it's complete lack of sense. Trees definitely do not go ping. Mice most certainly do not go clang. Cows never go bong, and monkeys cannot make a boo noise. I'm pretty sure this guy was tripping on some LSD when he wrote this. But there could be a deeper meaning hidden in this nonsense. I think that the author is trying to say that mankind, or society as a whole, has come to the point where the senses are overwhelmed with noises and images that don't make any sense. These images or any other man made sensory input has taken man to the point where eveything is just wrong. 

Drinking by Abraham Cowley

The thirsty earth soaks up the rain,
And drinks and gapes for drink again;
The plants suck in the earth, and are
With constant drinking fresh and fair;
The sea itself (which one would think
Should have but little need of drink)
Drinks ten thousand rivers up,
So filled that they o’erflow the cup.
The busy Sun (and one would guess
By’s drunken fiery face no less)
Drinks up the sea, and when he’s done,
The Moon and Stars drink up the Sun:
They drink and dance by their own light,
They drink and revel all the night:
Nothing in Nature’s sober found,
But an eternal health goes round.
Fill up the bowl, then, fill it high,
Fill all the glasses there—for why
Should every creature drink but I?
Why, man of morals, tell me why? This poem personifies basically everything to justify drinking alcohol. Cowley begins by saying that the earth drinks in water, and never is satisfied. He then moves on to plants which drink, and he says that is why they are "fresh and fair", or in good health. Cowley then says that the sea drinks the rivers, and the sun drinks the sea. He says that the Sun drinks a lot, and the you should be able to tell by it's "drunken fiery face." Then he says that the "moon and stars drink up the sun." After proving that all the things in nature drinks he says, "Nothing in Nature’s sober found." So following this logic he basically thinks that it is natural to drink and why shouldn't he be allowed to drink since nature is always drunk. Cowley really does make a good point, except that nature doesn't drink alcohol. So his argument might have some strength if there was alcohol in nature. This poem follows an aa-bb rhyme scheme. I really like this poem, otherwise I wouldn't write about it, and it is amusing to see the argument that the poet makes to justify his drinking habit.

Be Glad Your Nose is on Your Face by Jack Prelutsky

Be glad your nose is on your face,
not pasted on some other place,
for if it were where it is not,
you might dislike your nose a lot.

Imagine if your precious nose
were sandwiched in between your toes,
that clearly would not be a treat,
for you'd be forced to smell your feet.

Your nose would be a source of dread
were it attached atop your head,
it soon would drive you to despair,
forever tickled by your hair.

Within your ear, your nose would be
an absolute catastrophe,
for when you were obliged to sneeze,
your brain would rattle from the breeze.

Your nose, instead, through thick and thin,
remains between your eyes and chin,
not pasted on some other place--
be glad your nose is on your face! 

I decided to write about this poem, because it is pretty goofy and kind of clever. It's obvious why I think that this poem is goofy, and that is because of it's topic. This poem is really talking about how bad it would be if your nose was anywhere else. Before reading this poem I have never even considered how much worse life would be if my nose was somewhere else. This poem may actually have a deeper meaning, I think that it is trying to use the placement of your nose as a metaphor for how everything in your life is a certain way for a reason, because it just wouldn't be right if it was any other way. Jack Prelutsky seems very clever for his very effective use of aa bb rhyme scheme. The way he uses this rhyme scheme keeps the reader entertained with the actual reading of the poem. I do like this poem, mostly because despite it's comical style and topic I was able to find a deeper meaning.

A Divine Image by: William Blake

Cruelty has a human heart,
And Jealousy a human face;
Terror the human form divine,
And Secresy the human dress.

The human dress is forged iron,
The human form a fiery forge,
The human face a furnace sealed,
The human heart its hungry gorge.

This poem by William Blake talks about the dark nature of humanity. He uses personification to express his ideas on human nature. He personifies cruelty as the human heart, jealousy as the human face, terror as the human body, and secresy as the way people dress. He then uses reverse personification to compare man to inanimate things. He compares man's clothing to iron, man's form to a forge, man's face to a furnace, and man's heart to a gorge. Throughout this poem he uses personification to express his belief that man is equal to the worst the world has to offer. He means this both through emotions and objects.

To Sleep by John Keats

O soft embalmer of the still midnight,
    Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,
Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light,
    Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:
O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close
    In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,
Or wait the "Amen," ere thy poppy throws
    Around my bed its lulling charities.
Then save me, or the passed day will shine
Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,--
    Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords
Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;
    Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,
And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.

               I have never agreed with a poem more than this one. This poem by John Keats is about the soothing and healing nature of sleep.  He says, "O soft embalmer of the still midnight, Shutting, with careful fingers and benign, Our gloom-pleas'd eyes, embower'd from the light Enshaded in forgetfulness divine." These lines are basically saying that sleep, through it's comfort, is able to make you forget about your troubles. This is only the first time that he talks about how sleep helps him forget about his problems. He believes that sleep is very soothing, he even says, "O soothest Sleep!" He even capitalizes sleep as if to accentuate the word. He says,"Save me from curious Conscience," meaning that he believes that sleep has the ability to clear conscience. I agree with him totally sleep can clear conscience, at least for it's duration.

All That is Gold Does Not Glitter-John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king. 



This is a good poem, it is short but has a lot of meaning. In the first line of the poem Tolkien is basically saying that substance is worth more than outward appearance. The next line means that someone might seem lost, but they're just searching for something more. The third is about endurance. The fourth line is about having your morals firmly grounded so that they aren't easily changed. The fifth is saying that something can come from nothing. I think that the sixth is saying something about anything can happen, even the impossible. The last two go together, they are about how things can be healed or renewed to a greater state than before, or something like that. I like this poem, overall I think that the meaning was about how things can always change for the better, or don't judge a book by it's cover. It could mean both. The poem also gives some pretty good values to live your life by, in my opinion.

Life by Sir Walter Raleigh

What is our life? A play of passion,
Our mirth the music of division,
Our mother's wombs the tiring-houses be,
Where we are dressed for this short comedy.
Heaven the judicious sharp spectator is,
That sits and marks still who doth act amiss.
Our graves that hide us from the setting sun
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done.
Thus march we, playing, to our latest rest,
Only we die in earnest, that's no jest.

Right away Raleigh asks a really tough question, "What is our life?" That is what really drew me to this poem, it made me think, like a lot. Then he calls it a play of passion, Raleigh is basically calling life a series of actions based on impulse. The line "our mirth the music of division" is confusing to me. It might mean that our happiness powers our lives or something, I really do not know. The next two lines after are just saying that our mother's wombs are like rooms where we prepare for life. He also calls life a "short comedy," meaning life is short and enjoyable, most of the time. The following two lines talk about God, basically. He talks about how God is always watching us and judging us on our actions, especially when we mess up. The rest of the poem is no longer about living but about death. He compares our graves to curtains on a stage that close when we die. The last lines are talking about no matter how we live we all die. I liked this poem, mostly because it is very deep, life and death are pretty serious topics and Raleigh handles them really well.