Classifying

Philip and Annie wear glasses

and so do Jim and Sue,

but Jim and Sue have freckles,

and Tracey and Sammy too.

Philip and Jim are in boy’s group

but Philip is tall like Sam

whilst Jim is small like Tracey and Sue

and Clare and Bill and Fran.

Sue is in Guides and football

whilst Helen fits in most things —

except she’s a girl and quite tall.

Jenny is curly and blonde and short

whilst Sally is curly but dark;

Jenny likes netball, writing and maths

but Sally likes no kind of work.

Philip and Sam are both jolly,

Fran’s best for a quiet chat:

now I

have freckles, like joking, am tall, curly, dark, in Guides, football

and play penny whistles and the piano…

how do I fit into all that?

NICHOLS, J. In: COLLIE, J.; LADOUSSE, G. Paths into Poetry. England: Oxford University Press, 1993.

No poema Classifying, a escritora inglesa Judith Nichols compara várias pessoas com o objetivo de