A clever man was Edmund Clerihew
Bentley; a novelist, comedic gem,
And counted thus among the very few
Who have a type of poem named for them.

It started as a sort of schoolboy lark
To help recall a chemist’s famous deed,
And with that salty rhyme he made his mark,
And scribes like Auden soon followed his lead.

While tortured meter and a sense of fun
Make silly verses pointless to impeach,
Their aim is not just satire or to pun,
But rather fundamentally to teach.

So thank the clerihew if you recall
The architect who was behind St. Paul’s.