The Old Testament Books — in Fifteen Couplets
Creation of all, and Jews starting: That’s Genesis.
In Exodus, Moses is Pharaoh’s arch nemesis.
Leviticus is “legal”; for Numbers, think “census.”
Deuteronomy doubles what we have for lenses.
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The twelve books that follow are all Jewish hist’ry.
They show that God’s frequent dismay is no myst’ry.
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The Jews join Joshua’s jaunty Jordan crossing,
But Judges’ Jews reject Jehovah’s just bossing.
Two Samuels, two Kings, and two Chronicles, too,
Ezra, Nehemiah — that’s it but for two:
Ruth bats number three, so she’s just like the Babe.
And Esther comes last: She’s a queen down from Abe.
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Job’s trials: the oldest of books Wisdom’s with.
Psalms’ prayers have music, and Proverbs has pith.
Next Ecclesiastes and then Song of Songs:
World weary and then how eros belongs.
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Isaiah, Jeremiah: They don’t really rhyme!
Ezekiel, Daniel: Nor they — what a crime!
Those prophets, though major, cause poets frustrations.
No shock, then, between them we find Lamentations.
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Twelve prophets, though minor, have much they can teach.
But my poem’s limit is one word for each.
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Hosea/“whore,” Joel/“Judah” — consonant verse!
Amos is “Israel,” Obadiah is “terse.”
“Whale”/Jonah, Micah/“Bethlehem” — I’ll ramble on!
Nahum/“Assyria,” Habakkuk/“Babylon.”
“Josiah”’s the word for Zephaniah, I say.
Haggai and Zechariah share “temple,” okay?
You’re hoping I’ll stop soon and asking, “But shall he?”
If Malachi still gets the last word: “Finale.”
that that that