Sound and Sense, 2-27

Time for more instances of the homophone: a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air.

1. gnu (noun): wildebeest

2. knew (verb): past tense of know—to perceive directly; to have understanding of, etc.

3. new (adj.): not old; recently born, built, or created

4. nu: the 13^th letter of the Greek alphabet (like our letter N)

There were so many things he knew—

The alphabet, the color blue,

The quickest route to Timbuktu.

He always loved the Ancient Greeks—

Like other sorts of language geeks.

He learned their alphabet (took weeks).

His favorite was the letter nu—

Which thrilled our hero, through and through.

He named his dog for it (cat, too).

But on a trip abroad—where he

In Africa had wished to see

The animals all running free—

Instead he learned things very new—

And this, I swear, is sadly true:

He fell, so hard, for some young gnu.

No, not in love (no, that is gross!)—

He tripped before the gnu, morose,

And quickly bid us “Adios!”

That new gnu knew just what to do
When weird guys seem to lack a clue:
He trampled him—and all was through.