Pratchett: Nichtlachen-Keinwortz, Mr Bent Poem by Margaret Alice

Nichtlachen-Keinwortz

Building a machine that represents the
operation of a financial system by means
of coloured water gurgling in glass tubes
and valves, all this illuminated by lighting
caught in a jar by an Igor come from afar

so that the banking system can be studied
by sloshing coloured water around in various
containers; Terrry Pratchett does not suffer
from Nichtlachen Keinwortz Syndrome
at all, tears of laughter are

coursing down my cheeks as I’m laughing
wildly while reading his novel “Making Money”
in which the tongue of Moist von Lipwig runs
away from him while his brain seductively
leads him into making promises

of paying out money in an attempt to reform
the banking system that went bankrupt because
old ladies are in short supply and people prefer
old socks and mattresses to the dilapidated
banking system…


Mr Bent

A serious banker, Mr Bent, is very happy
to say that he has NO sense of
humour at all

As has been proven, says he, by the
ancient art of phrenology, interpreting
character according to

The nature of the face; he is delighted to
inform the reader he has Nichtlachen-
Keinwortz Syndrome

To him this strange characteristic is a
wonderful gift – to me, it would have
been the biggest tragedy:

To laugh is a godly opportunity to enjoy
the human comedy – and shed a few
years in a moment…

Quotations from Terry Pratchett “Making Money” p.55