Overstuffed Backpack Solution

Backpack is full?
It will not zip?
Too many books?
It's gonna rip.

Out goes Math,
English book, too.
Science stays home,
Does it zip? Phew!

Your backpack's flat -
Easy to zip.
Just don't tell teacher
About my helpful tip.

Laundry Day

Dirty laundry
Piled everywhere.
Nothing is clean -
Out of underwear.

Toolin' Dad

Trigger the drill,
Find the bit.
I need Dad's help
To finish my kit.

Dad swings hammer
And turns wrench.
With his tools
He fixes my bench.

At fixing things
I'm a zero.
Dad + tools
Is my hero.

Alarming Saturday

My alarm rang
Way too early.
I'm awake
And surly.

Trash Day

*Squeal*

*Roar*

The trash truck

Came and went.

Our can is full

And incredibly bent.

It's still sitting

Next to the house.

I forgot it was trash day -

I feel like a louse.

Under Couch Cleaning

Under couch cleaning
A chore Mom shirks.
In that small, dark space
Mysterious stuff lurks.

Mom's ready to clean -
I help, I'm no slouch.
We'll clear that debris
From under the couch.

We find dust bunnies,
And dog chew toys.
Ponytail holders,
Comic books for boys.

Plus last year's Math test,
The sock I'm searching for.
Mom's silver earring,
A dried apple core.

It's clean under there -
A debris-free floor.
Ended up to be
An interesting chore.

Heat Is On

With a click,
And a whir,
I feel heat -
No more burr.

Heat flows to
My bedroom.
Out of bed
I now zoom.

Face the day,
I won't mope.
I am warm.
I can cope.

Everyday

Everyday

the blank page

stares at me.

It challenges me

to create,

to compose,

to produce

a poem.

Any poem

that has

heart,

humor,

coherence.

Everyday

I face

the possibility

that

I won't

be able

to do it.

But

I

do.

Life

provides me

with the fodder

I need -

then

I take the time,

muster my courage,

and

write.

Everyday.

Parrots in the Tree (in OC)

Parrots in the tree,
A deafening cacophony.
Parrots in the tree,
A flock, wild and free.

Parrots in the tree,
Flashes of bright green.
Parrots in the tree,
Craziest thing I've ever seen.

The Power of a Shower

Before 

I shower

my odor is sour

and 

I look dour.

My brother 

glowers

as he 

towers.

I cower

and 

run 

to the shower.

I wash 

over an hour

then 

use powder

and 

come out

smelling like a flower.

It's 

the power 

of 

a shower.

Car Trouble

clatter

clank

Dad's hopes for driving shrank.

tinker

poke

Something in his car broke.

rumble

clunk

Is Dad's car now junk?

tools

time

Soon it will be fine.

parts

fixative

Dad repairs with explicative.

Lost Library Book

Around the house I look,
For my lost library book.

In the cushions of the couch?
In my backpack's outer pouch?

In the car on the floor?
Behind my bedroom door?

I feel like I have committed a crime,
When I have to pay an overdue fine.

Wait, what's that lump in my bed?
Going to the library I no longer dread.

Martin's Words

Martin's words were...

big

bold

brave

Martin used his words...

to converse

to challenge

to change

Martin's words...

altered thinking

adjusted attitudes

amended laws

I appreciate Martin's words...

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

A Poem in the Morning

A poem in the morning -
Isn't always easy to make up.
A poem in the morning -
Especially if I haven't woken up.

A poem in the morning -
Often written before the sun.
A poem in the morning -
Is still a lot of fun.

Tooth Ache

My tooth hurts -
I bit down on something hard.
My tooth hurts -
A popcorn kernel or carrot shard?

My tooth hurts -
I want this ache to end.
My tooth hurts -
An ache only the dentist can mend?

Pajamas to School

Pajamas to school
Is all I have left to wear.
Do you think teacher will notice
If I bring my teddy bear?

My slippers do scuffle
As I shuffle down the hall.
I'll wear PJ's just for today -
Then go shopping at the mall.

Moonlit Walk

I walk to the bus stop
By the light of the moon.
With each shadowed step,
I hope the sun will rise soon.

I started the school year
Walking in bright sunlight.
At this point in winter,
It is dark as night.

Filter

Mom says to filter
What I say when I speak.
Like that Baby has a rash
On his diapered cheek.

Or about Grandpa
And how he used up Dad's wood -
Oops, I told you!
At this filtering, I'm not very good.

Little Helper

I love to help around the house,
Mom mostly likes it too.
Except when she doesn't -
Like the time I dyed the wash blue.

I sorted the clothes into piles -
By size, not by color.
Everything came out blueish-gray -
The shade of denim, only duller.

Now when I offer to help Mom
She gives her head a shake.
"I've got the laundry covered,
Go help your Daddy rake."

Daddy's Glasses

Daddy wears his reading glasses
On a cord around his neck.
If he doesn't have them,
Printed words look like specks.

Sometimes he forgets where they are -
"Where are they? What the heck?"
You should see his face when I point out
They're hanging around his neck.

Talking with my Hands

When I speak

I use my hands.
Gesturing both

Small and grand.

With my hands

I do the talking -
Both whispering

And squawking.

I express

So much more

When my hands

Swoop and soar.

Big Exam

I study,

I cram.

Today I have

My big exam.

Do I pick A

Or maybe C?

None of the above

Or answer D?

My mind is blank.

I thought I knew

Some answers -

At least a few.

Essay questions,

Short answers, too?

My brain is fizzled.

Now I'm through.

My Dog is Hoarse

My dog is hoarse,
Her bark is coarse.
She sounds strange,
Will she bark "neigh"?

Alarmed to be Awake

My alarm RINGS.

My alarm DINGS.

My alarm BEEPS.

I want to sleep.

How I Scored a Trampoline

I jump, jump, jump

Until I bump, bump, bump

My head, head, head

On the bed, bed, bed

I cry, cry, cry

Mom decides to buy, buy, buy

A real trampoline, -line, -line

For her jumping-bean, -bean, bean

Movie Nights

Movie nights = popcorn bites
I laugh and munch,

I cry and crunch.

Popcorn's gone,

I yawn.

Brush my teeth -

above and beneath.

Now well fed,

I'm a sleepyhead.

Home from Vacation

Home from vacation
And all through the house
Are messes to be cleaned -
But none from a mouse.

Rugs to vacuum,
Kitchen to scrub.
I remember the good times,
While I soap the tub.

New Year Resolution

This New Year

I resolve

To grow, learn,

And evolve.

I'll stay me -

Only sweeter.

Do as I'm told

And be neater.