Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 176

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Togo.

This is a slender land that lies

Just east of Ghana—has a shore

Along the Gulf of Guinea. Skies

Are sunny there—and there’s much more.

The capital is Lome, and

The palm trees form a lovely line

Along the shore, along the sand.

(A tourist finds it very fine!)

It once was French, but it’s been free

Since 1960. It relies

On farming for economy—

Despite its slender, compact size.

The country’s small, the critters not.

The cheetah races ’cross the ground

(You’d better have a Safety Spot!),

And elephants are all around.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 175

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Timor-Leste (or East Timor).

A Southeast Asian island—it’s

The eastern half, you know?

The other? Indonesia—

Confusing—somewhat—no?

It was not till 2002

That independence came—

They’d tried a little earlier—

Put patience is the game.

And several centuries ago

The land was Portuguese—

But then the Europeans left—

No more was left to seize!

Geography is mountainous—

The climate, tropical.

And not a place where life itself

Is ordinary, dull.

They boast some birds—endangered ones.

Oh, more than one or two.

They’ve got some I’ve not heard about—

Like some strange cockatoo.

They’ve also got some snakes, some shrews.

A scary giant rat.

And if I got a glimpse of it,

Well, that would just be that!

Around the World on the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 174

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Thailand.

It was once called “Siam”—recall?

The King and I? (Oh, what a ball!)

It still remains a monarchy—

Just travel there, and you will see

That ancient-with-the-modern mix

That many tourists can transfix.

There’s still a lot of poverty—

And many work so there will be

More hope in every human heart—

We bless those helpers: They’re a part

Of all that’s good about our race—

In Thailand, here, or anyplace.

Geography is varied so—

From mountain, river, and plateau.

And animals? Magnificent!

The leopard and the elephant

And many others, fine and rare.

They’ve even got aggressive bear.

(Which makes me think I wouldn’t like

A casual, careless evening hike!)

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 173

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Tanzania.

I’ve always like the sound of this:

Yes, “Tanzania”—hard to beat

(Much better than “Ohio”—hiss!)—

A name that seems, well, very meet.*

It sits right next to Mozambique—

Another name I really like.

(I sound a little like a freak,

I know—these names … I’ll drop the mike!)

The country’s known for wilderness—

For beasts of every jungle sort,

Like rhino, leopard (makes a mess

When eating you—so’s the report),

There’s elephant and buffalo

And lion, so-called King of Beasts,

Who likes, as I am sure you know,

All sorts of lovely fleshy feasts.

Swahili is the language there—

Another favorite word of mine.

Oh, such a country—very rare—

With much to like (so I opine!).

*I know … a bit too … Shakespearean a word.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 172

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Tajikistan.

It’s landlocked there in Asia—

Nearby are other -stans.

It’s got a lot of mountains, so

Some climbers are its fans.

It once, of course, was Soviet—

Till 1991.

And then its independence came—

But progress? Never done.

Its history is ancient; its

Economy is based

On ore and agriculture. Oh,

What problems they have faced!

There are a lot of animals

That roam around out there—

Like marmot, antelope, and fox—

Like ibex, goat, and bear.

This country is both very new

And very, very old.

And we can safely say, of course,

That most has not been told!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 171

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Taiwan.

A diplomatic problem posed

When many Chinese fled

The rise of Communism there—

When China added “Red.”

They fled in 1945

As Mao rose in force.

And we aligned with them so soon—

Opposing “Reds,” of course.

The capital is named Taipei,

And because of China’s stance,

We’ve had rough choreography

In diplomatic dance.

It was “Formosa” when I was

A very little lad.

But that has changed (so much has changed—

And much of it is bad!).

The lid has managed to stay on—

While trouble boils below.

Let’s hope that lid remains in place—

Or more than it will blow.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 170

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Syria.

Oh, Syria, where horror magnifies

With every passing moment—no surprise.

For horror often lives ’neath desert skies.

The country has an ancient history—

From prehistoric times to days when we

Now hope that all the world will soon be free.

Religious, ethnic battles there are cruel—

With cruelties designed, it seems, to fool

The heart of hope. A very precious jewel

Is freedom, so we hope one future day

That it will here arrive somehow, some way,

That when it comes, it will do naught but stay.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 169

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Switzerland.

At last! A place where I have gone!

It seems so very long ago—

And I have written on and on

About some countries I don’t know.

In 1999 I went—

Geneva was that special place—

To see the site of that event—

The birth of Frankenstein—the space,

The villa where Lord Byron was—

The stories there about the ghosts.

And I went there to see because

(As you can tell—my many posts)

It was my Mary Shelley phase—

And I was reading many books—

And going through that twisted maze,

Obsessing over all: her looks,

Her life, and her career, and all.

So there I was—Geneva—where

I saw that villa (had a ball),

Felt some ... adventure—very rare.

I loved my time in Switzerland—

The mountains, lakes, the countryside.

Yes, all of it—so splendid, grand.

And when it ended? Sniffed and sighed.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 168

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Sweden.

I like those novels of the North—

Those thrillers that veer back and forth

Between a good or evil end—

On resolution we depend!

Stieg Larsson was a favorite with

Those “dragon” books—played with the myth.

But Sweden! Yes! A magic place

With mountains, fjords—it’s the case

I see those places in my mind—

Though I’ve not been there, have not dined

On Swedish specialties—like bread

(Of much of it I’ve often read).

And I’ve not been to Stockholm—yet.

(I put a “yet” to hedge my bet).

But were I young, I’d love to sail

To Sweden—then to tell my tale.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 167

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Swaziland.*

It’s landlocked in South Africa—

A country very small.

In fact, I really must confess,

I knew it not at all.

But that’s because I’m ignorant

Of far too many things:
Of sailing ships and sealing wax

Of cabbages and kings.**

And while we speak of kings, let’s note

That Swaziland has one.

They gained their freedom (’68)—

And that produced some fun.

The king came later—seven years—

And now he’s in control.

A simple sort of government:

“You all do what you’re tol’!”

But still, the country’s quite diverse—

Geography and that.

They’ve got those noted animals—

The rhino—jungle cat

(That’s lion! leopard!)—buffalo—

And parks where you can see

These creatures in their habitats—

Sounds awesome now to me.

But I’m a creature, also, and

I want to tell you, Bud:
That though I am part human, well,

I have some chicken blood!

*SWAH-zee-land

**Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 166

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Suriname [suhr-ih-NAHM-uh] .

Suriname—on the coast—

Northeastern South America—

The tropic forests there can boast

Some ocelot and tapir. The

Macaw cries out; the wild boar bores;

The howler monkeys scream their woe—

The happy traveler adores

It all—is grateful for the show.

The Netherlands once claimed the place—

But nearly fifty years ago

It gained its freedom—can embrace

That luxury that we all know.

The smallest in the continent,

It still has much of value there.

But freedom there—and all it’s meant—

Is what deserves the greatest care.

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 165

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Sudan.

The capital is named Khartoum—

A splendid name, as cities go.

The very sound relieves the gloom,

Suggests adventure, as you know.

It is a large Islamic state—

And Arabic, official tongue.

It once was Nubia (so great)

Of which some songs were back then sung.

And oil flows there, from ground to bank,

And agriculture is still key.

But lots of problems (let’s be frank)

Affect its full economy.

They have those famous jungle beasts—

Giraffe and elephant and ass—

And some are killed (assorted feasts)—

And some catch us as we catch bass!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 164

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Sri Lanka.

It was “Ceylon” when I was young,

But in the 70s it changed—

So many things got rearranged—

And English? It's no more the tongue.

And human beings for countless years

Have occupied this island place—

Back to the dawn of this, our race,

When mystery ruled all the spheres.

There many rivers flow along—

And countless species flourish there,

Like leopard, elephant, and bear—

While myriad birds contribute song.

With festival the culture’s rich—

With foods of all appealing type

(With fruits that drip when they are ripe).

In many ways they’ve perfect pitch!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 163

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

Spain.

You remember the song about Spain and the rain?

(My Fair Lady, the source of that song.)

Yes, Eliza was learning just how to pronounce

English words—both the short and the long.

Well, I’ve not been to Spain, but I’ve been somewhat close—

Dear old France is not too far away,

But I hope in the future some good news might come,

And to Spain I might travel one day.

And old Hemingway went there (that bad civil war),

And of course, Mr. Irving once wrote

A long book about Spain and its difficult past,

And Columbus came here on a boat.

But the country is rich in its history and lore—

And its language has spread everywhere.

Don Quixote fought windmills (that daffy old dude),

Inquisitions conducted (not fair!).

So we celebrate Spain (on the plain in the rain?)—

And we marvel at all they have done.

And I still want to go—there is so much to see—

Buy my ticket! And I’ll have some fun!

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 162

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

South Sudan.

This is a recent country that

Was born just six short years ago,

Seceding from Sudan. Yes, at

The table this occurred. But slow

Is progress in a fractured state—

A civil war has raged for years—

And there is really no debate

About the blood, the fears, the tears.

Economy—it’s somewhat weak,

Though oil is in the money mix.

And, yes, it’s wealth that most men seek—

But this will be so slow to fix.

The wildlife there? Iconic things:

Giraffe and elephant, baboon,

And lion, leopard (they’re the kings)—

All hope that peace reigns—very soon. 

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 161

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

South Korea.

Now South Korea’s in the news—

The North, an ever-present threat,
Has got some nukes (oh, yeah, you bet!)—

And in the West we have the blues.

This blustering some leaders do—

The threats—intimidation—war!

It frightens many—to the core—

Reduces me to blobs of goo.

To live and let live—that’s my way.

Believe just what you wish or will—

But, please, I beg, decline to kill

Dissenters—oh, there’s much dismay

Among those folks (those folks like me!)

Who sing that old familiar song—
“Can’t we here just all get along?”—

And deeply cherish liberty?

Around the World in the Good Ship DOGGEREL, 160

A doggerel series about the countries of the world.

South Africa.

It has some racial history

That time has fractured—partially.

Mandela won the Nobel Prize

For all he did to energize

All people who wished to be free—

The end he brought to tyranny.

But things are still not (as we know)

Reformed completely … very slow.

But such a place for folks to be!

A fabled place! Such scenery!

It’s got those beasts we all admire—

The cats that race as if on fire—

The elephants with ivory—

The rhino still is roaming free.

Its ecosystems vary there—

Savannah, woodlands, ocean air!

And Cape Town is a famous place

That shows the world the country’s face.

Eleven languages, I read,

Are there official—fills a need.

The country has deep problems—yes.

But so do we, we must confess.

Let human voices swell that we

All sing in hopeful harmony.