"Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes" is frequently said to be the shortest poem in the English language,
[1] or the shortest in the world.
[2] However, many shorter poems have since been written.
A notable example was composed by boxer
Muhammad Ali. On June 4, 1975, after giving a speech at Harvard University, Ali was discussing poetry on stage with journalist
George Plimpton. When asked for the shortest poem of all time, Plimpton recited "Fleas" as above, and Ali responded, "I've got one: Me. We."
[3][4][5]
According to the
Guinness Book of Records, the world's shortest poem is a one-letter poem by
Aram Saroyan comprising a four-legged version of the letter "m".
[6]
Another example of a short poem would be from J.W. Curry, which simply consists of the letter "i" dotted with his own fingerprint.
[7]
One more example is the world's shortest rhyming poem, "Tears" by William C. Wilkinson, and consists solely of the two words "I. cry."
[8]
