Doggerel

by Peter Saint-Andre

2021-08-07

This piece of light verse popped into my head the other day.

Doggerel

There is no word that rhymes with dog.
Though some appear as if they should
(The log that's fallen in the wood,
The fog that lingers on the coast),
You'll find that at the very most
Their rhymes are slant and that you can't
Just line them up and hope they sound
As up with pup or sound with hound.
The other creatures have their rhymes,
A name that rings and quickly chimes --
The cat is on the mat, of course,
The horse will run with markèd force --
But dogs are stuck with no such luck
And strike out when it comes to verse
(Although they seem not much the worse).
No matter how you shake your paws
At strictures of poetic laws,
There is no word that rhymes with dog.


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