This month’s guest poet at Today’s Little Ditty is poetry superstar David Harrison (I had the good fortune to rub elbows with David and witness his magic at a Highlight’s Foundation workshop a few years ago–an experience I heartily recommend!) David challenged us to write a poem using the word “ditty.” When I read Diane Mayr’s morse code ditty today, a ditty poem started rumbling in my head. Here’s my bit of fluff:
How to Write a Ditty
A ditty should be witty
And a ditty should be short.
If a ditty isn’t witty
then a reader will not snort.
When a Valentine’s a ditty
bake it sweet as chocolate torte.
(Leave the grime and gritty for a senate subcommittee–
it’s a pity when a ditty is an odious retort.)
But if your ditty starts to wander through a thicket, through a city
and you’re in a sticky wicket and you get a speeding ticket–
STOP! You must abort!
–Buffy Silverman, all rights reserved
Happy Poetry Friday! Kimberley Moran is hosting the round-up. Treat yourself to some poetry goodness.
Loved your Ditty Poem, google picked it up. I linked to it this morning, I hope you don’t mind.
It was a cute read, thank you.
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Happy that you liked and linked my ditty (and surprised that you found this from 4 years ago!) Thanks for reading and getting me to reread!
Buffy, I must have missed this delightful post with a fun ditty. I found a great app, Ditty, that lets you create ditty songs. I created two for National Poetry Month and the NYEDChat’s April is Poetrylicious Twitter chat.
*Love* your ditty, Buffy! The fact that you used “snort” AND “senate subcommittee” in the same poem is impressive! Happy Valentine’s Day! =)
And to you, Bridget–congrats on your run!
Hysterical! Your ditty definitely made me snort.
Thanks, Laura–it’s good that I’ve got a big box of kleenex for all the snorting around here!
You made me snort, too, Buffy. How could I not while reading such a witty ditty?
Thanks, Penny. I will pass the kleenex.
dash dit dit dit / dit dash dit / dit dash / dit dit dit dash / dit dash
What would we do without google to find a translator? (My brother and I learned morse code when we were kids, but that knowledge is long gone.) Thanks, Diane!
HA! Love your dittylicious (just came from Carol V and “poetrylicious”) rhythms!!
Dittylicious is my new favorite word!
A witty dity, indeed! Brilliant, Buffy!
ditty. 🙂
Thank you, Iza!
Quite the witty ditty, Buffy! Not too glib, and not too stuffy. Full of strength and very pretty; if you don’t win, oh, such a pity.
Ha! (my father used to rhyme Buffy and stuffy many years ago.) What’s the prize?
I don’t know, you’ll have to ask Michelle – it’s HER challenge! 😉 (Oh, I just remembered – a copy of David Harrison’s new book!)
A ditty that ends on abort, visits lands of chocolate, thickets and senate subcommittees, now that is a ditty with a grand design, political ambition and good taste. A ditty to be proud of. One that went to college, remembered to put out the trash on trash day, read the paper, did the crossword and even baked Valentine cookies. I need a ditty like that. 🙂
Sounds like the perfect ditty, Brenda…(especially putting out trash and baking cookies!)
Bahhh!!!!! (Lowers head, applauds, applauds…)
Thank you, thank you, Robyn!
Buffy I love your “How to Write a Ditty!!!” It bumps, and moves, and climbs, and then stops wonderfully, thanks!!! Especially the “sticky wicket!”
Thanks, Michelle. Your comment made me look up “sticky wicket” (probably something I should have done instead of writing nonsense…) and I revised my poem to make a teeny tiny bit more sense.
*thunderous applause*
So clever. Love your witty ditty!!
Thanks, Jama! Glad to have amused you (and myself…)
A person who can rhyme ditty and subcommittee is someone I want to be my friend. Nicely done!
Ah, for that there’s rhyme zone–but I’m happy to be a friend, Ruth!
Love how those lines get longer, and longer and. . . You’ve made your ditty point very well, Buffy. Very fun!
Thanks, Linda (and thank you for noticing the lengthening lines!)
This is hilarious!
Happy to give you a chuckle, Liz (and to have written another poem for my “missing” days this week!)
Now this is so much fun! Loved the ditty to bits. 🙂
Thank you, Myra–glad you enjoyed it!
Love it and I snorted.
Here’s mine:
Are you ready
For my itty bitty
Ditty?
Ha! Ready indeed, Kate!
🙂 Ditty duty done. Darn well! Thanks for sharing! God bless.
And thank you for stopping by and commenting!
You got my snort… AND my vote! Dr. Seuss would be proud, Buffy. Thanks for joining in the ditty festivities. 🙂
And thank you for hosting all those fun challenges (but still, you can abort!)
This is not an itty bitty ditty,
it’s the kind of poem that looks
simple–unless you want it to be pretty.
It requires having read a lot of books
For it clearly really needs someone
with a great mind and vocabulary. xo
Thanks for the poetic reply, Kimberley, and for hosting today!