First Poems

     I recall this one by Shel Silverstein as one the first one I memorized. The librarian at Willard would read to groups of children during their regular weekly visits. There was a run on this book for weeks if not months afterwards. We all would sign the card in the back of the book and bring it to the Take Out Desk to be stamped. I like the idea of this old system because you could see all the people who had read the book. That is, the card ran out of space and the librarian inserted a new one. Today's computerized systems are super efficient because they let you order books online for pickup without having to cruise the library stacks looking for something. Though for privacy's sake they don't allow you to discover who else has read the book. This is one of the trade-offs of our modern age.

Nothing to do? Nothing to do? Put some mustard in your shoe, Fill your pockets full of soot, Drive a nail into your foot, Put some sugar in your hair, Place your toys upon the stair, Smear some jelly on the latch, Eat some mud and strike a match, Draw a picture on the wall, Roll some marbles down the hall, Pour some ink in Daddy's cap--- Now go upstairs and take a nap. by Shelley Silverstein