Eletelephony
Once there was an elephant,
Who tried to use the telephant—
No! No! I mean an elephone
Who tried to use the telephone—
(Dear me! I am not certain quite
That even now I’ve got it right.)
Howe’er it was, he got his trunk
Entangled in the telephunk;
The more he tried to get it free,
The louder buzzed the telephee—
(I fear I’d better drop the song
Of elephop and telephong!)
— Laura E. Richards
From Tirra Lirra: Rhymes Old and New. Little, Brown and Company.
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From Tirra Lirra: Rhymes Old and New
First published in 1932, this collection of poems by Laura E. Richards won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1959, meaning it was selected as belonging “on the same shelf” as Lewis Carroll’s book Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
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About the Author
Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards was an American writer. She wrote more than 90 books including biographies, poetry, and several books for children such as Tirra-Lirra: Rhymes Old and New. Her most well-known poems include “Eletelephony” and “Antonio, Antonio.”
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