Poem of the Week: Typo

by Russell Hoban

Unsurprisingly to regular readers, this week's poem is selected from The Puffin Book of Nonsense Verse. Upon completing it last weekend I posted a list of my favourite poems from within its pages, calling this one "probably my favourite". An easy choice then.

'Nitgub,' said the typewriter,
and clenched the paper tight.
'Nitgub positively.
It is here in black and white.'
'Nonsense,' I said.
'I typed N-O-T-H-I-N-G;
the word of course was nothing,
simply nothing, don't you see?'
'Nothing may be what you meant,
but nitgub's what you wrote.
I like it,' said the typewriter.
'It strikes a happy note.
It has more style than nothing,
has a different sort of sound.
The colour is superior;
the flavour's nice and round.
Have you plumbed its deepest depths,
its mysteries explained?'
'All right,' I said, 'I'll take it.
Nitgub ventured, nitgub gained.'

As well as being found in the aforementioned anthology, the poem was originally published in Hoban's book The Pedalling Man, which is sadly out of print. However, you could try your luck on AbeBooks.

(As this work is likely still in copyright, I'll just draw your attention to the Poem of the Week copyright page.)