100,000,000,000,000 poems

The acid tongue with gourmet's expertise
For tea cucumber sandwiches a scone
Replies like this the dumbstruck brain may tease
One gathers rosebuds or grows old alone
Oh how oh how he hates such pilferings
The North Wind Bites into his architrave
He's gone to London how the echo rings
Victorious worms grind all into the grave
The peasants's skirts on rainy days she'd tress
What things we did we went the whole darned hog
The country lane just thrives on farmyard mess
One misses cricket hearth and croaking frog
Ventriloquists be blowed you strike me dumb
Fried grilled black pudding's still the world's best yum


Raymond Queneau

Translation to English by Stanley Chapman
found in "Oulipo Compendium"
Atlas 1998, ISBN 0-947757-96-1

Idea and implementation by Magnus Bodin 1997
Produced in the wonderful country of Sweden.