Thursday, April 17, 2008

Put a poem in your pocket

and share it with the world. As part of National Poetry Month, today is poem in your pocket day. Carry a copy of your favorite poem and share it with others.

This one has been a favorite of mine since I was at least 5 or 6 years old:

Table Manners - I

The Goops they lick their fingers,
And the Goops they lick their knives,
They spill their broth on the tablecloth -
Oh, they lead disgusting lives!

The Goops they talk while eating,
And loud and fast they chew,
And that is why I'm glad that I
Am not a Goop – are you?


By Gelett Burgess, published in Goops and How to Be Them: A Manual of Manners for Polite Children. This book was originally published in 1900 and I absolutely loved it as a child. At one point, I had every single poem memorized.

Not only are the poems great, but the illustrations are utterly charming as well:

3 comments:

Heather said...

super cute poem! Thanks for sharing it :)

Bebe Cook said...

Hi Sharon,

I love the poem and the illustration, I am not sure at times I might be a Goop! I have been known to lick my fingers when eating barbecue. Wishing you a wonderful day.

:) brenda

Sharon Hurlbut said...

Thanks Heather and Brenda! The Goops are decidedly quaint, which is probably why I love them so much.