Yesterday, we provided readers with a single line of "bad" poetry penned by local poet Rich Levy in a last-minute telephone conversation. We asked readers to mine their inner anti-poets to help us build, line by line, a notoriously bad poem in honor of National Bad Poetry Day, which is today.

The result is a 12-line poem about a bird, a caterpillar and a nightingale, a social commentary about the high cost of living and some interesting rhymes and spellings. Even our own Steve Jansen and Olivia Flores Alvarez got in on the fun and contributed their own lines, as did Public Poetry's Fran Sanders.

Thanks to everyone who contributed. The final poem, which we're calling "The Nightingale and the Other Bird," lies after the jump.

The Nightingale and the Other Bird

Once upon a time, a bird flew to the top of a tree It saw a caterpillar on bended knee Which was odd for caterpillars don't have knees you see Slurppppppp...breakfast, says the bird with mouth full Then a nightingale began serenading the satiated bird with her siren song "You'll be dinner before much long" Her etiquette was quite alarming as having given away her plans She pulled off her mask, twittering "Ah HA"and mumbling curses about the high cost of living, Eating mangoes, dancing tangoes, pelting passersby when ornery they answered her with raised fists and twisted lips, sour feelings growing in their tiny, hard hearts as sour and hard as taffy that's not so laughy Yes, twas th bst uf tymes and th werst uf tymes, with in you and without ryhmes.

What do you think? Is this Houston's worst poem? Or could we have done worse? Tell us in the comments.