When you say Ogden Nash, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is his quirky and light verse. And his observation skills. Amid poets who were discussing iambic and dactylic meters and free verse, Nash just went ahead and made his own words to fit the rhythm.
Oh, what is a poet’s mind if not free?
For people who are not quite aware of his genius, you must acquaint yourself with his work by starting with the adventures of Custard the Dragon or the awful tale of Jabez Dawes who was punished by Santa Claus.
It might take one a while to figure out if Nash was an absolute genius or was a simple-minded dreamer. One can laugh at his work and one can worship it, but one cannot deny the magic his verses carry. His clever but twisted verses might make you believe that you can become a poet too, only to make you realise that he made it seem unfairly easy.
So, we have 30 verses by this genius, who will tickle your funny bone and leave you in awe.
As they say, an Ogden Nash poem a day, keeps the sadness away.
To the unrecognised genius, Ogden Nash!
Original illustrations and design by the realio, trulio Aroop Mishra.