Mommy Brain

I read over on Semicolon that April is National Poetry Month, and today is Carry a Poem In Your Pocket Day. Well, I don’t have one in my pocket, but I thought I’d post a couple of my children’s favorites. These are both by Shel Silverstein.

The Crocodile’s Toothache

The Crocodile
Went to the dentist
And sat down in the chair,
And the dentist said, “Now tell me, sir,
Why does it hurt?”
And the Crocodile said, “I’ll tell you the truth.
I have a terrible ache in my tooth,”
And he opened his jaw so wide, so wide,
That the dentist, he climbed right inside,
And the dentist laughed, “Oh, isn’t this fun?”
As he pulled the teeth out, one by one.
And the Crocodile cried, “You’re hurting me so!
Please put down your pliers and let me go.”
But the dentist just laughed with a Ho Ho Ho,
And he said, “I still have twelve to go–
Oops, that’s the wrong one, I confess,
But what’s one Crocodile’s tooth, more or less?”
Then suddenly, the jaws went SNAP,
And the dentist was gone, right off the map,
And where he went one could only guess…
To North or South or East or West…
He left no forwarding address.
But what’s one dentist, more or less?

Boa Constrictor

Oh, I’m being eaten
By a boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
A boa constrictor,
I’m being eaten by a boa constrictor,
And I don’t like it –one bit.
Well, what do you know?
It’s nibbling my toe.
Oh, gee.
It’s up to my knee.
Oh my.
It’s up to my thigh.
Oh, fiddle.
It’s up to my middle.
Oh, heck.
It’s up to my neck.
Oh, dread,
It’s upmmmmmmmmmmffffffffff…