100,000,000,000,000 poems

The acid tongue with gourmet's expertise
His exaltation shocked both youth and crone
The understanding critic firstly sees
The thumb- and finger-prints of Al Capone
O Parthenon you hold the charger's strings
Filching the lolly country thrift helped save
In salads all chew grubs before they've wings
For burning bushes never fish forgave
It's no good rich men crying Heaven Bless
In indian summers Englishmen drink grog
And played their mountain croquet jungle chess
Lobsters for sale must be our apologue
Though bretzels take the dols from board-room drum
They're kings we're mammal-cousins hi ho hum


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.