https://blog.vnykmshr.com/writing/tags/humor/Recent content in Humor on vnykmshrHugoenSat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://blog.vnykmshr.com/writing/the-chaos/Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000https://blog.vnykmshr.com/writing/the-chaos/<p>I don&rsquo;t remember where I first found this poem. Someone shared it, or I stumbled into it &ndash; doesn&rsquo;t matter. What matters is that I tried reading it aloud and didn&rsquo;t make it past the first stanza without tripping.</p> <p>&ldquo;The Chaos&rdquo; was written by a Dutch teacher named Gerard Nolst Trenite sometime around 1920. It&rsquo;s 800 lines long. Every line exists to prove that English pronunciation follows no rules, respects no patterns, and will humiliate you if you try to read it with confidence.</p>