About the Teeth of Sharks

By John Ciardi 1916–1986 John Ciardi

The thing about a shark is—teeth,

One row above, one row beneath.

Now take a close look. Do you find

It has another row behind?

Still closer—here, I’ll hold your hat:

Has it a third row behind that?

Now look in and...Look out! Oh my,

I’ll never know now! Well, goodbye.

John Ciardi, "About the Teeth of Sharks" from You Read to Me, I'll Read to You (Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1962). Copyright © 1962 by John Ciardi. Used by permission of the Ciardi Family Publishing Trust.

Source: You Read to Me I'll Read to You (1962)

Biography

To millions of Americans, the late John Ciardi was "Mr. Poet, the one who has written, talked, taught, edited, translated, anthologized, criticized, and propelled poetry into a popular, lively art," according to Peter Comer of the Chicago Tribune. Although recognized primarily as a poet and critic, Ciardi's literary endeavors encompassed a vast range of material. From juvenile nonsense poetry to scholarly verse translations, . . .

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