Ogden Nash

The Chipmunk

The Chipmunk - meaning Summary

Shyness Outpaced by Chipmunk

The speaker admits to being shy but finds the chipmunk even more timid and erratic. Brief, witty comparisons convey the animal’s restless, fleeting movements—like flickering on a television, a passing cloud’s shadow, or the surprising voice of Emily Dickinson read aloud—turning shyness into a comic, kinetic portrait. The poem compresses observation and humor into a concise character study of small-animal anxiety and charm.

Read Complete Analyses

My friends all know that I am shy, But the chipmunk is twice and shy and I. He moves with flickering indecision Like stripes across the television. He's like the shadow of a cloud, Or Emily Dickinson read aloud.

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