…ru
This ruru who lived in a bebeeru
Tried so hard to ambush a kereru
That he ended sick with the kuru
Had visions of a ahuru on a grugru
Chatting with a rawaru and a chiru.
ruru = a N.Z. owl
bebeeru = a tropical tree
kereru = a N.Z. pigeon
kuru = disease of the nervous system
ahuru = the pink cod
grugru = a palm tree
rawaru = the blue cod
chiru = a Tibetan antelope
…pu
Reigning supreme in his hapu
A certain bapu decided to tapu
The use of any quipu or quippu
As well as catching the kokopu
Or a coypu for cooking the pupu.
hapu = Maori subtribe
bapu = spiritual father
tapu = to forbid the use of
quipu/quippu = device to help memory
kokopu = freshwater fish of N.Z.
coypu = aquatic rodent
pupu = Hawaiian dish
…ou
Hearing the froufrou of a boubou
A fou ou saw a vrou at the orihou
Handing her biniou to the sapajou.
“Some thankyou!” said the marabou
To the giggling turacou and tauhou.
fou = adj. drunk
ou = a bloke
orihou = a N.Z. tree
biniou = small bagpipe
sapajou = a long-tailed monkey
thankyou = a gift
marabou = an Afr. stork
turacou = an Afr. bird
…nu
This former detenu, now parvenu,
Saw an ingenu down on his genu
Picking flowers off the tauhinu
Which he offered to an inconnu
Who came by, chasing the gnu.
detenu = a prisoner
genu = the knee
tauhinu = (N.Z.) a flowering shrub
…mu
It happened once that this mwalimu
Was so keen on practicing tsutsumu
That he wrapped in his own mumu
A tiny namu trapped in the karamu.
mwalimu = (Swahili) teacher
tsutsumu = Jap. art of wrapping
mumu = flowing robe
namu = N.Z. sandfly
karamu = a N,Z, small tree
…lu
Bewitched by the impundulu
A balu jumped aboard a zulu
Carrying a cargo of dry calalu
To barter for plu, sulu or pulu.
Alas, the hull was vermoulu.
When they sank, it was voulu!
impundulu = mythical bird
balu = bear
zulu = fishing vessel
calalu = edible leave
plu = beaver skin
sulu = Melanisian skirt
pulu = silky fiber
…ku
Honoured guests at the minshuku
Drink their tea in vessels of raku
Listen to gagaku or play gomoku
Perhaps watch nogaku or bunraku.
Their lyric hokku justifies seppuku
When shamefully defeated in juku.
In Japan
minshuku = guest house
gagaku = ancient court music
gomoku = a board game
nogaku = type of drama
bunraku = puppet theatre
…hu, …iu, …ju
Drinking piu and piu samshu
The jehu counted on his juju
But he mistook the sucuruju
For a huhu in piupiu and baju
And a bhikhu gave him buchu
To recover his skill in wushu.
samshu = an alcoholic drink
sucuruju = the anaconda
huhu = a N.Z. hairy beetle
piupiu = a flax skirt
baju = a short jacket
bhikhu = a Buddhist monk
buchu = a medicinal plant
…gu
Stung by the kerengu
After chasing a kagu
And catching a tegu
While playing his gu
This careless mzungu
Visiting the umlungu
Had to gobble a fugu.
kerengu = a Maori bug
tegu = a lizard
mzungu = white person (E.Afr.)
umlungu = white person (S.Afr.)
…eu, …fu
In a prudish milieu or purlieu
Favouring gym on a priedieu
Wearing pareu in lieu of samfu
Serving madafu in lieu of tofu
Was not a jeu but caused snafu.
purlieu = a neighbouring area
priedieu = a kneeler for prayer
samfu = a Chinese woman’s outfit
madafu = coconut milk
…cu, …du
This eperdu teacher giving an apercu
On exotic fauna caused a malentendu:
The surucucu did not feed on pirarucu
Preferring pudu, tamandu or tucutucu
When it could not find kudu or teledu.
eperdu = distracted
surucucu = a snake
piracucu = a large food fish
pudu = a S.Am. deer
tamandu = an anteater
tucutucu = a S.Am. rodent
kudu = a large antelope
teledu = a carnivorous mammal
…bu
Hopping from jambu to ombu
To escape an urubu the ynambu
Saw the zobu courting a cattabu.
“’tis strictly tabu!” said the babu.
jambu = the rose-apple tree
ombu = a S.Am. tree
urubu = vulture
ynambu = a S.Am. bird
zobu = male cross of yak and cow
cattabu = cross between cattle and zebu
…au
The hausfrau promised her beau
Who loved to play the berimbau
A cadeau of noyau and cointreau
If he dyed his feldgrau manteau
And chapeau in vibrant ponceau.
berimbau = a Brazilian musical instrument
cadeau = a gift
noyau = a flavoured brandy
…zo
Giving an abrazo to the mestizo
The bozo brandished a burdizzo
Thinking it was gonzo, a ginzo
And a mozo collared the schizo
And threw him on the terrazzo.
abrazo = embrace
bozo = dim-witted fellow
burdizzo = castrating tool
gonzo = bizarre
ginzo = person of Italian descent
mozo =manual labourer
…xo, …yo
Meeting his samurais in the arroyo
The daimyo invited them to chanoyo.
It was exo, but they preferred gongyo
Or even watching sumo in the dohyo.
chanoyo = Japanese tea ceremony
exo = excellent
gongyo = Buddhist ceremony
dohyo = sumo wrestling ring
…uo, …vo, …wo
At an arvo session of the zemtsvo
During a vivo debate about parvo
Some chechaquo shouted: “Rivo!
We must drink and forget any wo!”
arvo = afternoon
zemtsvo = elective council in Russia
parvo = contagious disease of dogs
chechaquo = newcomer
rivo = a drinking cry
…to
With fagotto, sticcato and koto
The terzetto was playing rubato
Turning kwaito into some mento.
As if, ordering one baked boniato
You were served a bizarre pomato.
sticcato = a xylophone
koto = a musical instrument
rubato = distorted rhythm
kwaito = S.Afr, pop music
mento = Jamaican form of song
boniato = a sweet potato
pomato = a tomato grafted on a potato
…so
Hiding among the chamiso
This amoroso sang a canso
From giocoso to doloroso
For his girl stroke her apso
While quaffing oloroso.
chamiso = a flowering shrub
canso = a love song
apso = a breed of terrier
…ro
Playing his piffero with estro
An arriero wearing a zamarro
Met a picaro carrying a cuatro.
They sat and shared some churro
Snatched suddenly by a karoro.
piffero = a fife
estro = enthusiasm
arriero = a muleteer
zamarro = a sheepskin coat
cuatro = a small guitar
churro = a Mex. Pastry
karoro = a large seagull
…po
A sheepo was given plenipo
To remain fully contempo.
So, frisking a zoppo uptempo
He chased katipo and kakapo
From the raupo and matipo.
sheepo = a sheep farm worker
plenipo = complete power
contempo = following the latest fad
zoppo = syncopated
katipo = a N.Z. spider
kakapo = a flightless parrot
raupo = the N.Z. bulrush
…oo
This yahoo must be boocoo coocoo!
Wanting to say hooroo in parleyvoo
Paying a razoo for shypoo and samshoo
Daring the wanderoo to play pakapoo
Throwing callaloo, shouting “Jordeloo!”
boocoo = large amount (beaucoup)
hooroo = good-bye
parleyvoo = the French language
razoo = coin of little value
shypoo = liquor of poor quality
samshoo = alcoholic drink
wanderoo = an Asian monkey
pakapoo = Chinese version of lotto
callaloo = crabmeat soup
jordeloo = warning when throwing
…no
Playing cassino at the casino
A chicano dared the capitano:
“The loser eats relleno, serrano,
Cioppino, poblano and jalapeno,
Some romano and sweet pepino
Washed down with maraschino.”
cassino = a card game
relleno = dish of stuffed chile
serrano = a small hot pepper
cioppino = a spicy fish stew
poblano = dark-green chili pepper
jalapeno = a hot pepper
romano = an Italian cheese
pepino = a type of yellow fruit
…mo
“Chimo tovarich commo!
For us nathemo a supremo
Not in ultimo nor in proximo.”
-“Bravissimo! We enter pomo:
No more some lucumo in camo!”
chimo = a greeting
commo = a communist
nathemo = never the more
ultimo = in the precedent month
proximo = in the following month
pomo = postmodernism
lucumo = an Etruscan prince
camo=camouflage
