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V.B. Nimble, V.B. Quick

V.B. Wigglesworth wakes at noon,

Washes, shaves and very soon

Is at the lab; he reads his mail,

Swings a tadpole by the tail,

Undoes his coat, removes his hat,

 

Dips a spider in a vat

Of alkaline, phones the press,

Tells them he is F.R.S.,

Subdivides six protocells,

Kills a rat by ringing bells,

 

Writes a treatise, edits two

Symposia on "Will man do?,"

Gives a lecture, audits three,

Has the ***** club in for tea,

Pensions off an ageing spore,

 

Cracks a test tube, takes some pure

Science and applies it, finds,

His hat, adjusts it, pulls the blinds,

Instructs the jellyfish to spawn,

And, by one o'clock, is gone.

j
Written by
John Updike
1932-2009 / American
Lines·Words
20·112
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