I Saw a Peacock, with a fiery tail,

I saw a Blazing Comet, drop down hail,
I saw a Cloud, with Ivy circled round,
I saw a sturdy Oak, creep on the ground,
I saw a Pismire, swallow up a Whale,
I saw a raging Sea, brim full of Ale,
I saw a Venice Glass, Sixteen foot deep,
I saw a well, full of mens tears that weep,
I saw their eyes, all in a flame of fire,
I saw a House, as big as the Moon and higher,
I saw the Sun, even in the midst of night,
I saw the man, that saw this wondrous sight.

I wouldn't say this is the first poem I ever loved, but it's the poem I've loved the longest. It's certainly one of the most delightful poems I've ever met, surpassed only by the picture book Mirror, Mirror and its sequels. (Those books are worth having in any library, and if you haven't discovered them yet I don't know what you think you're waiting for.)

*****

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