Can you believe I wrote an entire poem just so you could learn a new, funny word. Well, I did, and that word is “borborygmus.” A borborygmus is not only a funny-sounding word, but it’s also the sound your tummy makes when it rumbles, usually because of gas moving in your intestines.
When I sat down to write today, my own tummy started grumbling loudly. That happens sometimes when I’m hungry, but today, my tummy was making a lot of noise and I have no idea why. It got me thinking about all the funny and strange sounds our stomachs can make, and that’s how Iggy was born!
In this poem, I had fun playing with words, using assonance, which is where you repeat vowel sounds like “clearly hear” and “loud, resounding howl.” I also used some alliteration, which means repeating consonant sounds at the beginnings of words, like “grumble and growl,” to make the poem more playful and musical. And of course, there’s a bit of exaggeration—or hyperbole—too, with Iggy’s tummy sounds being compared to thunder and even an earthquake! I hope you enjoy hearing about Iggy as much as I enjoyed writing this poem.
Iggy Borborygmus
He’s Iggy Borborygmus, and
whenever he’s around,
without a doubt, you’ll clearly hear
a tummy rumbling sound.
His gut is always gurgling
with a grumble and a growl.
It’s known to groan and moan
or give a loud, resounding howl.
The noises Iggy’s insides make
are something of a wonder.
You’d likely be forgiven if
you thought that it was thunder.
You heard a herd of elephants?
A hungry grunting piggy?
An earthquake hurling furniture?
That probably was Iggy.
But if you think his stomach makes
a loud and rowdy sound,
when Iggy toots,
you truly do not want to be around.
— Kenn Nesbitt
