It was a lovely New York morning and the sun in the sky was brightly shining
When, from up above in the clouds we all heard a horrid noisy whining,
And we looked up in the air to see a large silver plane flying by,
And the sun was glinting off its fuselage as it flew swiftly through the sky.
But then the plane made a change of course and headed right in our direction,
Pointing straight at the World Trade Centre (which was a mighty double concrete erection),
And then the aircraft crashed into the side of one of the towers which caused great dismay
Which was a terrible shock to all who saw the incident on that cataclysmic day.
The explosion was very loud, and greatly shocked everyone who saw the accident,
(At that stage it was thought to be a dreadful mistake and not something that was meant)
But after only forty-five minutes the population saw another plane on New York airspace encroaching,
And then they realised that the first was no accident but there was another attack approaching.
The other plane flew straight into the second of the Twin Towers standing proudly there;
One minute the plane was flying along in the sky and the next it was no longer there,
For the aircraft disappeared totally into the very core of the giant concrete building
And it was about half way up the tower, I suppose you would say in the bit that was the middling.
The world's radios and TV stations were covering these happenings 'live' with horror and with awe;
No one knew who had done these things (or why) and it shook the whole of America to its very core;
The New York firefighters sped to the scene and it is agreed that they were certainly very brave
As they did their very best to rescue people in the towers, and many a life they definitely did save.
But there was worse to come and everyone knows this nowadays (but did not know at that particular time)
Because the towers had been weakened by the aircraft striking into them in this international crime;
Then first one tower fell to the ground with an incredible and shocking noise which raised a lot of dust
And the other tower started to crumble with a mighty roar which probably did some damage to the earth's very crust.
This was truly a terrible event and one of the blackest days in the entire history of the U.S.A.
Which is still talked about with shock and horror and people still cry about it to this very day;
And news commentators all over the world asked who had done it and soon opinion began to harden
With the more or less general agreement that it had been masterminded by a Saudi Arab called Osama bin Laden.
On the same day as these terrifying events happened which did such damage to good old New York City,
Two other planes got hijacked by the terrorists and the results of that were certainly not very pretty;
One of the other planes flew to Washington DC and landed with an explosion on the walls of the Pentagon,
But the fourth aircraft failed in its deadly mission and crashed in a field en route to the White House in Washington.
So looking back on these dramatic events, the historian is sure to say that they were the beginning of a war of terror
(And only time will tell whether the subsequent US attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq were justified or in error)
But whatever transpires in the future these happenings everyone will always be sure to remember;
However by calling these dire events "9/11" most of the world believe they happened on the ninth of November.
Author notes
Judging from so many ignorant comments by uneducated twats, I am obliged to explain that this is a parody (if you don't understand the word look it up, if you can manage that). It is a parody on the writing of William McGonegall, famous as the world's worst poet who did not realise how bad he was. Look him up.
"I shall be delighted to receive your interesting comments on the parody I have written
And the gift of claps from your hand will certainly not result in the donor's hand being bitten."
In a list
- A List Of Fine Poems • next in list
- A List of Tribute Poems to Bonnie Scotland and to Great Scots Writers like Irvine Welsh, William McGonagall & Robert Burns etc. • next in list
A contest entry
- Be inspired by some of the world's worst poets! by chugglepuff.
1000 points, ended November 18, 2007, 7 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - The Asshole's Contest: Good Poet's BORROW, Great Poet's STEAL! by Avatar of Innocence.
1800 points, ended July 5, 2008, 10 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 70 of 70
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Rather lengthy and hard to read for a parody.
Mike -
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Only if you have difficulty in reading words of more than two syllables. Try mouthing the words as you go. It helps some people.
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LOL. Not likely.
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I am taking this out, not because I do not realize that it is a parody, but because it didn't hold my attention. I had to force myself to finish it, which is never good. And I can't say exactly what it is that made it difficult for me to read. I love parodies of serious things, it just... seemed a little prose-y to me. Maybe that's it. Anyway, I'm sorry. Better luck next time around!
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ah i am glad for those author comments then lol though i do not think myself ignorant many will look at this poem as a bit mad! i remeber the time of these mad events, i was just waking up and switched the news on and saw the crap going on. lol i am still laughing at those author notes after reading the poem
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I quite like you. Your poem is an excellent parody. The tongue-in-cheek quality of your poem ranges from blatant to subtle. Thank you for allowing me to look up Macgonagall, the sly, self-depreciating satirist. My father always told me: "Look Dumb, Act Stupid, and Learn." Seems everyone else had a lot to learn about Macgonagall
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Good one!
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Isn't McGonagall from Harry Potter? lol. I don't know, but I'm diggin' the title regardless.
And you did a really good job writing a bad poem
Tis a shame you had to explain yourself in your author notes. Avatar should have fun with this one, as I'm always a horrible judge of parodies when there are non-parodies in the contest. It has to be an all-or-nothing kinda thing for me. It's a parody contest only, or it's not. Otherwise, I can't fairly offer an opinion. So, though I was asked by Avatar to offer my opinions on the entries, she's shit outta luck on this one. lol
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proud
Hello there!
Old McG would be proud of ye, me ole lad! He has taught you well how to write a bad poem. A wonderful parody!
Good Luck in the contest.
And good for you for stuffing it to Bush and his USA war mongering terrorists! Long may they rot and burn in hell.
Have a gr8 day,
BJ.
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One word. Hiroshima.
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Another word: Haditha.
And another: Guantanamo.
And another: Nagasaki.
And another: Mai Lai.
Guess who did all of those?
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Eh'm frae Dundee, an' Eh say this is feckin' BRILLO!
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Ps.
Please disregard my previous comment entirely, I did not read your replies to others commenting more or less the same as I did. If I had, my comment, if any, would have been entirely different. If you feature your poems under critical review, you have to expect that, critical reviews. But go on, continue writing mockery about something that impacted millions of lives all over the world. Reply if you like, to the last comment, this one, or both, I do not care. I just wish I could take back the two applauses I gave, but I guess it is too late.
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To Starhiker
No dear, you got it wrong three times in your comments.
1. 9th of the 11th = 9th November to everyone in the world except Americans who transpose the numbers to be awkward.
2. You do not know it is parody because you are unaware of what it is parodying. Your comment "good poem with good rhymes" is laughable as the poem is INTENDED to be doggerel crap, in loving memory of McGonegall of whom you have never heard.
3. You are correct in so far as the attack on the twin towers had a tragic impact in so far as it gave an excuse to the American fascists to attack two innocent nations, Afghanistan and Iraq, and murder 100s of thousands.
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9/11
is not ninth of November, but September eleventh, or as it would fit in your poem eleventh of September. Good poem, with good rhymes, although completely missing rhythm and flow. Also, I do not understand why the poem is in the category Parody. I am not American, and did not feel the same impact of 9/11 as USA did, but I lost one of my contacts, my webmaster for a now dead website. No webmaster around, no way to update the domain registration. This way the terrorism spread even into the internet, and I am sure that the day they blow up the worlds internet grid, we will be truly terrorized. At least I look to that day with terror... Thanks for sharing this with us, though if you are Mrs Mulholland, who is Mrs McGonagall? Jim
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TRUE!
Having lived in Europe, and having been a genealogist..I know that the rest of the civilized world (and perhaps uncivilized world) does transverse the date...day first..then the month...makes it had to authenticate births! And, 9/11 does indeed mean November 9th to everyone outside the USA..
I hate reliving the moment though...but..we do need to keep the feelings we had then alive. Kudos!
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9/11/xxxx = 9th November. Only a recidivist would think otherwise.
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This is a marvelous poem! Kept my attention the whole entire time! I remember that day.. I was in 7th grade back then. :/ The ending is actually pretty true, since we use the month/day outline and others usually do it opposite: day/month.
Excellent write. Great rhyme and great retelling.
Good luck in my contest! Thanks for entering!
M a r l u x i a
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????????
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Could be better.
A tragic story put together pretty well.
I thought that the structure could have been improved if the lines had been made shorter.
Also some of the rhyming scheme was forced.
Unfortunately both of these aspects, for me, spoiled the poem.
The person who corrected you on the dates was correct, 9/11 in the US is 11th September. She obviously didn't realise that you live in the UK where 9/11 means 9th November.
Getting the date wrong also detracted from the work overall.
Someone else said they didn't know how this poem won the contest. I'd have to agree but think it was probably the subject matter that did the trick.
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To "TheElf"
Your reply is staggering.
1. You are apparently totally unaware of MacGonegall.
2. You are apparently totally unaware that this is a parody.
3. You are apparently totally unaware what parody is.
4. You are apparently totally unaware that the rhymes are forced intentionally.
5. You are apparently totally unaware that only Americans reverse the days/months in dates and that this folly really has meant the most of the world has the date of the event wrong, not that anyone cares.
6. You are apparently totally unaware that the poem won because it was in a contest for MacGonegall style poems.
7. I suggest you acquire a sense of humour. They are available at http://www.buyabrain.com .
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ninth of november? Um, not exactly. unless you're talking about something else. Because 9/11 means September 11th. Not the 9th day of the 11th month.
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No, you got that wrong.
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To be honest....
...It's an unusual style, and I'm surprised it won gold ; though obviously I didn't see the other entries.
For me, it doesn't flow too well, and the lines are too long.
Also, if I wanted to be pedantic (which I do), there are too many forced rhymes ; though to be fair, there are some clever ones too, like "harden" and "Bin Laden", which I particularly liked.
Having said all that, it's pretty good, and deserves a little clap.
Robin.
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I can tell you know a lot about McGonegall.
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Never heard of her!
R. -
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William McGonegall. A very famous poet. Look him up.
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:)
SAAAAWEEETNESS... this event didn't really effect me all that much, ok, so maybe it did... but that's not the point. The point is that this is good. lol
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I think this poem explains the terrible thing that occured that day really well. I'm going to show this to my English teacher for she likes to read poems about 9-11.
Great Poem!!
Keep up the good work!!!(:
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I am sure your English teacher will appreciate the poem if she knows anything about the Great McGonegall.
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Mhm.
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OHHHHHHH!
I liked this a lot!
Good job!
Although it made me cry.
It was quite fabbo, but verr verr sad.
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Yes, it's a very weepy subject.
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This poem evokes a lot of sad memories and fearsome thoughts...
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REPLY TO JONTY
Yes, it evokes a lot of memories and thoughts. I remember I was scheduled to be having a nice lunch with some friends that day and I cancelled it to watch events on TV.
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ohh...I think it's still too soon...
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Too soon to write a nice poem?
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...on second thougnt, you're right, madam M.
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GREAT TRUTH AND FEELINGS
YOU WROTE WHAT MANY OF US THOUGHT THAT DAY THANK YOU GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR OTHER WRITINGS GOD BLESS! -
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Dear Ladysundancer
I know many people share my views on "9/11"...
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People will still be writing about this decades after the event; it will never be forgotten, not will people ever tire of talking about it and the terrorists and who was behind them. Fitting parody on the subject - lots of rhyme here - not easy to do with the words you used either. Keep writing - enjoyed this spoof. Ghazal - wrote one once...that's just once.
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I shall do another McGonegall style parody soon. I was thinking of doing one on the Resurrection. Do you think that would be a good idea?
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Is this a Bastard Ghazal?
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No it's Mr Anusface.
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VERY GOOD POEM
I ENJOY YOUE POEM VERY MUCH. I LOST A FEW FRIENDS THAT DAY. RETIRE NYPD
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Jolly good!
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I really enjoyed the flow of this piece, it was enjoyable. I have never been to America, but I can only imagine how much fear and how much anger that day much cause. The one line that I see something wrong with is line three, I think a better word could be used than silver to describe the plane.
Cheers to a good write,
Liv -
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Better than "silver"??? How about "alumininum/zinc alloy"? That would fit.
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I watched this on the television and to be honest who it happened to and why were not so poignant as the terror and desolation that affected those people involved and everyone else who knew them. Like any tragedy it is the loss and devastation of human life regardless of colour, creed or nationality. I personally felt the rhyming scheme almost trivialised it and prose or free verse would have suited the sombre nature of the poem better.
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ANOTHER REPLY TO A COMMENT DELETER >
I loved it on the telly. I think BBC coverage was better than on ITV, but they both overdid it a bit. They even cancelled a re-run of "It Ain't Half Hot Mum" to give extra coverage, which I thought was totally out of order.
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I am always hesitant to critique poems like this because of the nature of the poem and because the writer usually displays it less for critique and more for self-therapy (which is a good thing). I sense this about this poem, that it was written more to get things out than to receive critiques. I will therefore leave you with this thought. All things here are temporary. Our leaving is inebidable, only when and how are in question. That being said, the qaulity and validation of our life is not how we die but how we live. There were a lot of beautiful people who lived wonderful lives, some shorter than others, but in comparison, there are many of us still here who have yet to begin living. I think living is the biggest honor I can give them.
One Love,
John
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ANOTHER REPLY TO SOMEONE WHO DELETED THEIR ORIGINAL COMMENT >
I am glad I wasn't there and I bet you are too!!!!!!!!!! Or else....WHAM!!...Good night everyone!
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This is actually quite good, no where near as awful or dire as some in this contest. I have to agree with the last line, being in the UK I always read it as 9th nov. Best of luck in the contest...
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A REPLY TO SOMEONE ELSE WHO DELETED THEIR ORIGINAL COMMENT >
How sweet. It was very funny on the telly.
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This is actually too poetic
I was looking for work more trivial and pathetic -
i must say that it was quite a shock to read the last line when the rest seemed to have a serious note. i had previously written a poem about 9/11 too but yours is more descriptive... and despite my contest being about brutality... the comment below mine really creeps me out... for 1 being that i am an american and 2 being that most of my friends are jewish. .. but ya.. i'll shut up now
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You got it completely wrong which is quite astounding. The only line which is totally serious is the last one. By calling it "9/11" most of the world thinks it took place on the 9th of November. This is factual. And it is quite ironic.
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I get a big erection whenever I watch the footage from 9/11 and I think of all the dumb americans dying on that fantastic day it is just a pity most of the 500+ jews that worked there had phoned in sick that day.
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Oh dear. This was satire and more about William McGonagall than the event itself. He wrote a poem about the Tay Bridge Disaster which is what my effort is based on. Thank you for your comment, though.
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I think your write was excellent.
Your poem is a fine tribute to the many people who died that tragic day through no fault of their own. They were innocent people gong about a days work. You have shown up the depths that some people will go to and feel no shame for they have no conscience. The content must be of concern to everyone world wide. I think you have put this peice across on your own commitment and charachter of being a caring determined poet who likes to expose the facts which you have done very vividly and held my interest right to the end. Thankyou for sharing your vivid and emotional thoughts about this tragic mass murder of many innocent people.
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A REPLY TO SOMEONE WHO DELETED THEIR ORIGINAL COMMENT >
Thank you for your nice comment. I enjoyed watching it on TV. It was good stuff to see them tumble!
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Its actually' The Great McGonagall
The Scottish poet you are trying to parody is actually William McGonagall...who resided in the City of Dundee on the east coast of Scotland...some 23 miles from where I live...his poetry isnt all bad in my opinion...your poem is a fairly good attempt at his style...and perhaps slighty worse in construction..no doubt deliberately of course!...The poem I think you are attempting to parody is of course 'The Tay Rail Bridge Disaster' which was a description of actual events...Bravo for making the attempt!..it takes courage...regards Dan
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A REPLY TO CELTICPOET
I am aware who I am parodying quite well, thank you very much. I shall have to check the spelling of his surname and if you are correct I shall naturally put it right. I am enchanted to meet someone who thinks his "poetry" isn't all bad. You are in a worldwide minority of one. Thanks for your comment and I'll be back after a spellcheck.
4 minutes later: your spelling is correct. I unwisely copied from the contest holder without double checking. My eternal gratitude.
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I remember exactly where I was when i got the news that day. it was one of those events that changes everything.
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I also know nothing of McGonegal so i didn't really get in on that level but the overall piece really didn't do much for me....reading this version of tragic events really made me squirm. Not sure wether it was really heart felt or you were simply making light of this horrific act.... But that is the beauty of art... Not everyone has to like it and you can never be wrong within it.
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Utterly brilliant!
If that doesn't get you appointed poet Laureate I'm a middle aged slightly balding poet.
Your rhyming is too good however, I too couldn't bring myself to be truly McGonegalesque! You got tthe total lack of scan down to a T though. Wonderful.
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Just superb, an excellent parody! I probably shouldn't laugh about it because it's distasteful but that's life for you. The only slight criticisms I have are you could have repeated key phrases and rhymes a bit more and the rhyme scheme was more logical than many of the poems of Mc Gonagall I've read.
I loved "But there was worse to come and everyone knows this nowadays (but did not know at that particular time)" and "With the more or less general agreement that it had been masterminded by a Saudi Arab called Osama bin Laden," particularly, plus the ending was fantastic. You made a great job of trivialising a tragedy, you did McGonagall proud! Thanks very much for entering!
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I am honoured to have received the gold cup for my entry in your poetic competition
And I am also very pleased indeed that you liked my learned erudition
The fact that the Twin Towers crumbled is indeed a well-known historical fact
And that I did not mention the laughter this caused in certain quarters is a sign of my poetic tact.
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Fabbo.
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to be honest I had never heard of mcgonnagal before but I checked him out and, boy is he bad! You have done a grand job of writing in his style but please oh please dont do it again. I hope you win. x
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1 - 70 of 70
