7.
There was an old person whose zeal
Made him bug-eyed and tense at the wheel.
He wasn’t much fun, and they said he was un-
representative of their ideal.

* *

19.
There was an old man from Sichuan,
Who directed the kids on his lawn.
He was rather aloof, and would sit on the roof,
And descend only when they had gone.

* *

40.
There was a young person named Wheeler,
Preserved in a jar of tequila.
“I’m a gnat! I’m a gnat!” was the comment of that
Hymenopterous person named Wheeler.

* *

52.
There was a young man from St James,
Who consigned all his work to the flames.
When asked why he did it, he sadly admitted
It’s one of his dumb little games.

* *

69.
There was an old man from Seattle:
Four fifths of his life was a battle.
He argued and fought, but eventually thought,
“It is time to desist from the battle.”

* *

Images: Michael Hollander

Anthony Madrid lives in Chicago. His poems have appeared in B O D Y, Boston Review, Fence, Gulf Coast, Iowa Review, Lana Turner, LIT, Poetry, and Volt. His first book is called I AM YOUR SLAVE NOW DO WHAT I SAY (Canarium Books, 2012).