Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes

Lines on the Antiquity of Microbes, also known simply as Fleas, is a couplet commonly cited as the shortest poem ever written, composed by American poet Strickland Gillilan in the early 20th century.

The poem reads in full:

One contender with Fleas for the shortest poem in English was composed by boxer Muhammad Ali. On June 4, 1975, after giving a speech at Harvard University, Ali recited the "shortest poem ever written on what it's like to be as great as Ali":

Another contender for the shortest poem in English is by Australian novelist John M. Green who tweeted it on August 29, 2016. Entitled "Kin", it reads in full: