Acton Bell. Lemony Snicket. A Lady. Wondrous pseudonyms, all.
I wanted my own. I wanted it to be so quirky and weird that it could not possibly be anyone’s real name (Dan Handler, you are my hero!). Happily, I found inspiration in James Thurber’s book, The Thirteen Clocks. Mr. Thurber includes several very clever limericks in his tale of tears and laughter. This one is my favorite:
“A dehoy who was terribly hobble,
Cast only stones that were cobble
And bats that were ding,
From a shot that was sling,
But he never hit inks that were bobble.” —James Thurber, The Thirteen Clocks
This, to my mind, simply has to be a strong contender for The World’s Most Witty Limerick. Imagine, Mr. Thurber could find two sets of words (the -obble words and the -ing words) and cut them in half and successfully rhyme the first halves of those words in a clever poem. This is a feat of imagination and skill that affirms my faith in human invention.
(Side road: I have never held the limericks of Mr. Edward Lear in very high esteem. Far too often, he merely repeats the first line in the last line of his limericks. Lazy. Dull. Lacking in imagination. I just feel so empty inside when I have to read the same line twice in a short poem like a limerick.)
Not only is Mr. Thurber’s little poem a lot of fun to read, it has inspired me to what I hope and pray is an entirely original pseudonym: Hobbie DeHoy.
This is possibly Too Precious For Words. However, I cannot resist taking a pseudonym that is inspired by the poetic invention of James Thurber. And anyway, this is my blog and I’m allowed to slip into being a little too precious sometimes, as long as it’s not accompanied by an iPhone selfie. That last, I can safely promise my readers.
Love you & leave you,
Hobbie DeHoy
Too Precious For Words 