It was one of those days?

April 28, 2009 9:28 AM

When I was a kid getting driven to school with NPR on the radio in the late 80's early 90's, there was this sort of interstitial poetry series that often played. I googled for a while finding nothing. I was hoping to find a collection or even just the author/reader's name.

The poems themselves all had a similar structure and reused certain lines throughout, similar to a mad libs almost, though obviously a bit more complex.
The following examples are pulled from foggy memories:
It started with "It was one of those and the ________ was _______."
There was also "Down by the fireplug _______ was singing ______by the _______."

I also remember a line "salt and pepper hair, you're no spring chicken."

The purpose of this search is for a mother's day gift.

posted by Stonestock Relentless to media & arts (6 answers total)

Where did you grow up, in case this was a regional station thing? Do you know the name of the NPR member station?
posted by fiercecupcake at 9:39 AM on April 28, 2009

The only thing I can think of is Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac," but that doesn't address the "similar structure" part of your question.
posted by The Deej at 9:45 AM on April 28, 2009

Write to that PBS station; someone's likely to remember.
posted by theora55 at 9:48 AM on April 28, 2009

I will write to them. It was Seattle area so it was KPLU 88.5 or KUOW 94.9. I didn't think it would be a local thing, that might make it easier.
posted by Stonestock Relentless at 9:57 AM on April 28, 2009

Was it possibly some of Ken Nordine's word jazz?
posted by lekvar at 12:30 PM on April 28, 2009

seconding lekvar -- that's what i was going to say.
posted by penchant at 12:31 PM on April 28, 2009