custurd the dragon is an imaginary poem written by ogden nash i personnally enjoyed this poem hope you will enjoy and plz do share

1. THE TALE OF CUSTARD
THE DRAGON
BY OGDEN NASH

2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
• Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over
500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared the country's best-known
producer of humorous poetry.
• Nash was best known for surprising, pun-like rhymes, sometimes with words deliberately
misspelled for comic effect August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971

3. ABOUT THE POEM
• The poem is set entirely in the poet’s imagination , and has no basis in reality at all . The
poet imagines a little girl called Belinda and her pets- a cat, a dog , a mouse and a
dragon-of whom the dragon is the most cowardly. However, when the situation demands
it, and a pirate is on the prowl, the dragon shows his true nature and saves all others from
harm.

4. BELINDA AND HER PETS
• In the beginning stanzas , we are introduced to Belinda who lives with her pets in
a white house . These pets are black kitten , a grey mouse, a yellow dog and a
dragon. They all use a red wagon when they want to go out somewhere. The
kitten being black is known as Ink , the mouse being tiny as Blink , the dog being
yellow as Mustard , and the dragon being cowardly as Custard .

5. CUSTARD, THE COWARD
• Custard was a full-grown dragon and could easily defend himself against any
danger, for he had sharp teeth, spikes on his back, scales beneath his belly and
danger-like toes. He could also breathe fire . Belinda, Ink, blink and Mustard were
all brave , even though they were much smaller in size than Custard, but Custard
was so cowardly that he preferred to be caged if that would keep him safe.

6. CUSTARD, THE COWARD…….
• All the others used to always make fun of Custard for being so afraid all the time.
Belinda tickled him and Ink, Blink and Mustard ironically compared him with a
brave knight called Percival ( who had been in the service of King Arthur ) to show
him how unlike Percival he really was .
• Whenever Custard wanted to be put in cage, Belinda and Blink giggled to their
heart’s content, and Ink and Mustard asked him how old he was that he was
scared of every little thing.

7. AN ATTACK BY THE PIRATE
• In the seventh stanza , the poet describes a particular incident when Belinda and
her pets all heard an unpleasant sound . Mustard sensing trouble, started
growling. Ink and Belinda cried out in horror , and finally they saw that a pirate
was climbing into their house through a window .
• The pirate had guns in both hands and a knife between his teeth. He also had a
beard and a wooden leg. All in all, his appearance was quite sinister.

8. THE HERO CHANGES AT THE PIRATE
• Belinda started to cry for help, Mustard ran away, Ink hid in the basement and
Blink went into his mousehole . To everyone’s surprise, Custard jumped up and
started snorting in the indignation and anger. In fact, it sounded like an engine
revving. Then Custard beat his tail against the floor which sounded like the metal
chains in a dungeon being banged against one another. Finally , he changed
towards the pirate in the same way that a bird charges at a worm that it will eat.

9. ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
• The Pirate knew that he had no chance of winning against a dragon, so he just
started at Custard and took a drink of alcohol from his flagon , preparing to be
eaten alive .He feebly fired two shots at Custard from his pistol, but his aim was
off . And finally , Custard ate him up in one bite .
• Belinda gave Custard a hug and Mustard licked him . So both man and dog
expressed approval in their own way . Nobody spared a thought for the pirate
who had been eaten . Instead, Ink and Blink started dancing in a happy mood .

10. ALL IS WELL THAT ENDS WELL
• In the final stanza , it is evident that everything has gone back to normal again.
Belinda is living once again in peace with her pets in her white house.
• Belinda, Ink , Blink and Mustard are still brave despite knowing that the pirate
could have easily killed them all . On the other hand , Custard is still a coward and
still longs for a safe cage.