Contagion

Spike Milligan 1918 (Ahmednagar, India) – 2002 (Rye, United Kingdom)



Elephants are contagious!
Be careful how you tread.
An Elephant that's been trodden on
Should be confined to bed!

Leopards are contagious too.
Be careful tiny tots.
They don't give you a temperature
But lots and lots - of spots.

The Herring is a lucky fish
From all disease inured.
Should he be ill when caught at sea;
Immediately - he's cured!
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Submitted by RobertHaigh on June 10, 2020

Modified on April 21, 2023

19 sec read
86

Quick analysis:

Scheme XAXA XBXB XCXC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 333
Words 62
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Spike Milligan

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan KBE, better known as Spike Milligan, was born in British India. His talent for comedy was evident from an early age, and he found fame as a member of the Goons, along with Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine. He wrote many books, including volumes of comic verse. He was also a passionate campaigner for animal rights and the environment. more…

All Spike Milligan poems | Spike Milligan Books

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