Let’s Give a Cheer for Onomatopeia

Are you ready? Are you ready?
Start the fizzing and the whizzing
Start the rapping and the clapping
Start the humming and the drumming
Start the snipping and the snapping
Let’s give a welcome cheer
For onomatopoeia!

With a pitter-pat-a-pat
And a rattling rat-a-tat
With a splutter and a splatter
With a chitter and a chatter
With a clinking and a clunking
With a plinking and a plunking
With a hee-haw and a boo-hoo
With an oompah and a yoo-hoo
Join in and give a cheer
For onomatopoeia!

With a grunting and a growling
With a yowling and a howling
With a squealing and a squeaking
With a squawking and a shrieking
With a jibber and a jabber
With a ting-a-ling-a-ling
With a tooting and a hooting
With a ring-a-ding-ding
Let’s hear it loud and clear
Let’s give a final cheer
For onomatopoeia!

Copyright: from The Land of the Flibbertigibbets (Salt, 2011), © John Foster 2011, used by permission of the author

More about this poem

You will hear that John reads with quite a serious tone, even for the humorous poems – which perhaps adds to the amusement.

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