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Best Poems From
YEN CRESS
(3/9/43)
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17.
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House Mouse
We'd a mouse in our kitchen,
So sorry to say,
And the poor little rodent
Was quite in the way.
Why couldn't he go
To the field 'cross the street?
There were nice, juicy weeds there-
And plenty to eat.
Could it be he was lonely
And liked to be here
Where the family's friendly,
With smiles and good cheer?
Yes, we're friendly and cheerful
And warm-hearted, too.
But a mouse in our kitchen?
Now what should we do?
We weren't planning to poison
Our little gray mouse;
That would be downright sad
For his little gray spouse!
Snapping traps are just awful-
The sound makes us sick.
We all thought he should live
But just go away, quick!
So we taped the 'Meow! '
Of our neighbor's old cat,
And we played it so loud,
The mouse fled, just like THAT!
In the field he still tells
Of that strange paradox-
He escaped from a LION
Concealed in a box!
Yen Cress
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18.
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Influence
One pleasant summer day,
Swinging gently in the window,
My canary began to sing,
Softly at first,
Testing his voice against zephyr and sun.
And then he fairly burst
As trill followed warble
And chirp preceded roll.
His yellow-feathered throat
Swelled and shook with joyous tones.
Then suddenly he stopped.
He cocked his head left, then right.
From tall trees and power lines
Came echoing songs
Rising and falling around him.
The mockingbirds continued singing
Far into the night,
Spreading canary music
To every block in the city.
They did not even care that their tiny mentor
Had long since been taken back inside,
And covered with a cloth.
Yen Cress
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19.
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Leaf Motif
This morning in my garden plot,
A snail munched on a lettuce leaf.
He looked quite beautiful, I thought-
His shell was fine beyond belief;
He seemed to like my favorite spot.
I picked him up, and saw his eyes
Shrink down into his little head!
His funny face was a surprise.
'I like you, Little Snail, ' I said.
'I hope you find a friend your size.'
Yen Cress
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20.
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Misnomers
The name implies inadequate size,
And indeed, many shrimp are quite small.
But a jumbo shrimp is in no way a wimp-
Why call it a shrimp at all?
And a fairy shrimph is perceived as a nymph,
'Cause it's delicate, lovely, and frail.
But a fairy it's not-no wand has it got,
And no fairy's equipped with a tail!
Yen Cress
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