There are some 250 words in "Litany," a poem by Billy Collins, published in Nine Horses.
This morning, thanks to The New York Times, I discovered this video -- of a three-year-old boy, reciting all of its 33 lines from memory:
"You are the bread and the knife, the crystal goblet and the wine," he begins, fumbling with some toys.
"The next time you're lamenting the state of 21st century culture -- possibly while waiting for a new episode of 'Jersey Shore' to start -- give yourself a morale boost with this video," reporter Dave Itzkoff writes on the ArtsBeat blog.
Apparently, the boy's mother recorded and posted the video. Collins has been of 15,777 viewers so far, she tells us. The CUNY professor and former U.S. Poet Laureate wrote the two of them a letter.
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