Anagrammatic Poems

It all began for me in Sierra Leone, 1987. Reading and writing by kerosene lantern light at night, I suddenly hit upon the idea of creating anagrams of RONALD WILSON REAGAN, our unfathomably two-term President back home. 666, as some people claimed, he must have had some kind of magic to have mesmerized the American people into voting for him while blithely running up the national debt.

So I constructed a few lame anagrams and proposed a contest in Di News De, the Peace Corps/Sierra Leone bimonthly rag. There were several responses in the next issue, but we were all blown away by this masterpiece by a British Council worker in Makeni:

Ronald Wilson Reagan: An Ode

(To be read in stirring, declamatory tones without particular regard for veracity or meaning, in a manner of an old Hollywood actor reading his lines.)

A long insane warlord,
Insane Golan warlord...
As a lion, Ron wrangled.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Danger! An ill war soon.
Ill war rages on and on,
A long, lean SDI war, Ron.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Ron draws along a line.
A long Ron leads in war,
War alone, darling son.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Ron: a lewd slogan: Iran.
Iran allows no danger,
Allow Iran no gardens.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Regal London saw Iran.
Iran warns gold alone.
Sell a dog now, ran Iran.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

No wars: Ron gained all.
Was all Ron gained Ron?
Lo! Ron's law in danger,
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Now an order gains all.
I, Don, ran no legal wars.
Ron, law is an old anger.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Will Ron anger as a Don?
Lo! No darn Regan wails!
No laird! No Regan laws!
Lean Ron is a wrong lad.

Warn Ron: all AIDS gone,
An Ollie drawn groans,
A raw girl and low son.
Lean Ron is a wrong lad,
A nadir song worn leal.

--David Thornton

Since then I have written a few anagrammatic poems myself, but I have to admit none have been as good as the one above. Here are a few examples:

Colleen Marie Kirby

In reliable mockery
Rollick ye bare mien.
I'll embrace or ink ye--
Rob ire, my lilac keen.

I bare more lily neck,
I kneel o'er racy limb.
My broken Eire lilac,
I rebel like acronym.

I, malice, broken lyre,
Only lie, irk, embrace.
Rock--belie manly ire,
My rib or like enlace.

Lick or lie by me near,
Lie rimy, broken lace;
Nor label me icy Kier,
I roll in key embrace.

Rein back, my Lorelei,
Mi reina, rocky belle.
Be my link, care or lie,
Ere I comb airy knell.

Ere I brick loyal men,
I reck only rebel aim.
By realm I lie, reckon,
I cry or keel in blame.

The D. M. Harris A-Exam Support Committee Presents:

DIANE MARIE HARRIS: An Anagrammatic Operetta

For mezzo-soprano, baritone, and SATB chorus

(Libretto edition)

Act II. Scene 1.

[Synopsis: Dan de Man (baritone), a long-time admirer of Diana d'Millvilles (mezzo), has finally decided to ask for her hand in marriage. He comes to her resolutely but, in her radiant presence, loses his nerve and prattles on about marginal topics. What he does not know is that Diana, impatient with his indecisiveness, has agreed to be betrothed to Ian, a rich but entirely shallow heir to the ACME Plumbing empire. And the engagement notice is in the The Times which is just arriving...]

Baritone:
Rare is maidenhair!
I admire her as rain.
I aid her arm as rein.
Maidenhair is rare!

Chorus:
Maidenhair is rare!
I desire an arm hair.
I rain; he dreams air.
Rare is maidenhair!

Baritone:
I, Dan, her aim raiser.
I am her raid an' sire.
I, Dan, hear a rim's ire.
I am her sad Rainier.

Chorus:
Rare is maidenhair!
A dreamer is in hair.
He dreams in air--air!
Maidenhair is rare.

Mezzo:
Hi, dreamer (as I rain)!
I rinse a dream hair.
Hi! Rein-arm is a dare.
He dreams air; I, rain.

Baritone:
Her aim is a rare din.
I am her dear raisin.
I am her rare sin aid.
Her saner aim I raid.

I admire a rare shin.
I am her dear air sin.
I harm a rain desire,
I raid a ramen shire!

Chorus:
I raid a ramen shire,
Her saner aim I raid.
I said, "A ramen hirer,"
Her rain airs I made.

Mezzo:
I rinse a dream hair,
I dream rain is hare.
In dream, raise hair;
I share dream in air.

Baritone:
I smear a drain heir!
Admire her sin aria!
I, ash. I render Maria.
Diana marries heir!

Chorus:
A! Di marries an heir!
Her air-dream is Ian.
Air-head marries in.
Maidenhair is rare!

Baritone:
Her rain drain is me.
I hear dream is rain.
I am her raised rain.
Her nadir aria is me.

Silicon Graphics Incorporated

In response to an SGI contest that called for a statement 25 words or less, which explained why you wanted to win the first-place prize of an SGI Indy computer.

Rococo PC trashed, nil. Aspiring, I
Incorporate iron-clad chips--SGI.
I plot in accord, I graph in scores;
I clip, chop, grind--reaction soars.

(I still wonder why I didn't win--how can you beat an AABB anagrammatic poem with exactly 25 words?)

The Sad Ballad of Cinderella

Cinderella
All ice nerd
Line cradle.

Eli, nerd cad.
Eli in cadre,
Recalled in.

Dine in cellar.
Nil ale rec'd;
Lend eclair.

Nice: all red,
In cell diner,
In dear cell.

Nerd cad, Eli.
All red acne.
Lance idler.

Lancer lied.
I rend a cell.
Cell air end.

Nelli cared.
Neill raced.
Clare led in.

Della nicer.
Raced Neill.
Neill arced,

End ill race.
Cede ill-ran.
Declare nil.

Erin called.
Clean riled.
Call reined.

Call end ire.
Recline lad.
I clan Elder

Cinderella
Ill ace nerd.

--Mike O`Connor (K.M.O`Connor), mickman@intonet.co.uk

Adolf Hitler

Hell! Do I fart?
I do hell fart.
Hello! a drift.
Lo! I held fart.

I felt Harold.
Ah! I felt Lord.
Lo! I felt hard.
Thrilled oaf.

I'l froth a deal;
A frothed ill.
Lo! A red filth.
Hell of a dirt.

I ladle froth.
I lather fold.
Ho! I felt lard;
I lard hot elf.

Lord, hit a elf.
Rid loth elf.
I Thor, elf lad;
I rot elf dhal.

Lo! A third elf.
Of hell a dirt.
Reload filth.
Lo! Hitler fad.

Falter? I hold.
"Daft" I holler.
"Fah" trolled I.
I hold elf rat.

Hah! Fetid roll.
I lard hot elf
I fled lo Thor.
Ire doth fall.

He a old flirt.
A droll thief,
A refit dholl.
Adolf Hitler.

--Mike O`Connor (K.M.O`Connor), mickman@intonet.co.uk

SPAM, by Hormel Inc.

By simple corn-ham
(rich baloney!) Ms. P.M.
beclamps my rhino.
--Wayne E. Baisley, baisley@fnal.gov

Acronym him, plebs.
SPicy hAM, Mr. Nobel!
SPAM, by Hormel, Inc.

--Wayne E. Baisley, baisley@fnal.gov

Re: Shimmy-bop clan--
Mealy O.B. R.N. chimps
pry balconies. Hmm.

--Wayne E. Baisley, baisley@fnal.gov


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