DURDLE DOOR
Damasque mosque
Rechargeable laughable
Stock Block
Writing Biting
Huckleberry strawberry
Went bent.
Management inconsistent
Plumage sewage
Bon Bon
Human woman
Kiss miss
Hungry dowry.
Hundreds rapids
Hurdle Durdle
Durdle Door
Hark Mark
Just must
Walk talk.
In sin
Zen den
Where bear
perspire respire
Think kink
Unique mystique.
About This Poem
This playful experimental poem takes its title from Durdle Door, the famous natural limestone arch on Dorset's Jurassic Coast in England. Written in June 2000, it pays homage to Mark Twain's distinctive wordplay and linguistic inventiveness. The poem uses rapid-fire rhyming couplets and unexpected word pairings to create a cascade of sound and rhythm. Words are chosen as much for their sonic qualities as their meanings, creating associations that are more musical than literal—"Damasque mosque," "Huckleberry strawberry," "Hundreds rapids / Hurdle Durdle." This technique mirrors Twain's love of language gymnastics and his ability to find humor and poetry in unexpected juxtapositions. The reference to "Durdle Door" itself becomes part of this wordplay, while "Hark Mark" pays direct tribute to Twain. It's a celebration of language as sound and rhythm, where meaning emerges from the interplay of words rather than from straightforward narrative.