BREF
by
Lionel King and Doris Prime (1928)

We've got a big window what's fixed in our house,
It's as big as, well, I don't know what.
I breathed on it and drawed an old man,
And my nanny she smacked me a lot.
She picked up a duster and wiped it all off—
I fink it was nasty of her.
So I pulled back the curtains and shut both my eyes,
And took a big bref and went "Huh"
'Cos that makes the window all foggy,
You can write your whole name in a "Huh.-"
Of course if you draw an awful fat man,
You must do an awful big "Huh."
And once in the winter the frost came one night,
And our window got ever so froze,
It looks just like hundreds and fousands of trees,
They'd growed in the night, I suppose.
I fought they looked pretty and sparkled so bright,
But I knew they would melt with a "Huh,"
So I crept to the window as nanny came in,
But before she could catch me, I went "Huh."
And that made the window all foggy,
Nanny smacked me because I went "Huh"
But when I'm alone, and there's no one about,
I just please myself and go "Huh"
My daddy is learning to breathe on the glass,
But he can't get his breath, he's so fat,
He gets out of bed when he finks I'm asleep,
And he frows up the window—like that.
He shuts up his eyes, and breathes frough his nose,
Like this:
(Inhale through nostrils and exhale through mouth, as if
deep breathing at an open window)
But he always forgets that the window's not there,
So whatever's the good of the Huh?
It can't make the window all foggy,
If it's up at the top when you Huh,
But my daddy he tries, and he puffs, and he blows,
But he's not got enough bref to go, "Huh"
So now when they leave me alone in the room,
They fink I am good, I believe,
I draw lots of horses and funny old men,
And I wipe 'em all off with my sleeve.
And if they come in, well, I get on the floor,
And hark to our pussy-cat's purr.
And I play with my toys 'til I hear them go out,
Then I go to the window and "Huh."
'Cos that makes the window all foggy,
You can write lots of things in a "Huh"
You try when your nanny's not looking at you.
It's easy-that's all I do-"Huh."