100,000,000,000,000 poems

The acid tongue with gourmet's expertise
The bull's horns ought to dry it like a bone
The Turks said just take anything you please
'Ere meanings new to ancient tribes are thrown
Oh how oh how he hates such pilferings
Were pots graffiti'd over by a slave
Proud death quite il-le-gi-ti-mate-ly stings
In purest cradels tha's how they behave
The fasting fakir doesn't smell the less
With gravity at gravity's great cog
And played their mountain croquet jungle chess
But I can understand you Brogher Gog
Poor reader smile before your lips go numb
And lessors' dates have all too short a sum


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.