OCTOBER POETRY

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The Creature in the Classroom
Jack Prelutsky
ASSEMBLY
Dave Calder
OCTOBER
Maurice Sendak
THREE GHOSTESSES
Anonymous
LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE
James Whitcomb Riley
TWO WITCHES
Alexander Resnikoff
THE BOGUS-BOO
ADVENTURES OF ISABEL
Ogden Nash
SKIN AND BONES
Traditional song

 
 
The Creature in the Classroom
Jack Prelutsky
 
It appeared inside our classroom
at a quarter after ten,
it gobbled up the blackboard,
three erasers and a pen.
It gobbled teacher's apple
and it bopped her with the core.
"How dare you!" she responded.
"You must leave us . . . there's the door."
 
The Creature didn't listen
but described an arabesque
as it gobbled all her pencils,
seven notebooks and her desk.
Teacher stated very calmly,
"Sir! You simply cannot stay,
I'll report you to the principal unless you go away!
 
But the thing continued eating,
it ate paper, swallowed ink,
as it gobbled up our homework
I believe I saw it wink.
Teacher finally lost her temper.
"OUT!" she shouted at the creature.
The creature hopped beside her
and GLOPP . . . it swallowed teacher.
 

 

ASSEMBLY

Dave Calder
 
I don't want to see any racing in the corridor,
a gentle glide's what we expect in here;
not that I mind a little heavy-handed fear
but you high spirits must slow down.
 
And I've had complaints that some of you
slip out at playtime. Let it be quite clear
that you stay in the graveyard till you hear
the bell. Seven-Eleven's out of bounds,
so is Stop-And-GO and your other favorite haunts.
I'll stop your little fun and groans:
there'll be a year's detention in the dungeon
for anyone caught chewing anything but bones.
 
And we'll have no more silly tricks with slamming doors,
at your age you should be walking though the walls.
And it isn't nice to use your loose heads as footballs
or vanish when you're being spoken to.
 
And finally, I really must remind you
that moans are not allowed before midnight
especially near the staff-room. It's impolite
and disturbs the creatures - I mean teachers -
resting in despair and mournful gloom.
You there - stop wiggling those chains,
I can't bear to see a restless ghost -
put your face back where it was this instant
or you won't get to go flying by the moon.
 
Class Three, instead of Double Shrieking
you'll do Terminal Disease with Dr. Cyst;
Class Two stays here for Creepy Sneaking.
The rest of you can go. School dismissed.
 
 

October

Maurice Sendak
 
In October
I'll be host
to witches, goblins
and a ghost.
I'll serve them
chicken soup
on toast.
Whoopy once
shoopy twice
whoopy chicken soup
with rice.
 
 
 

Three Ghostesses

Anonymous
 
Three little ghostesses,
Sitting on postesses,
Eating buttered toastesses,
Greasing their fistesses,
Up to their wristesses,
Oh, what beastesses
To make such feastesses!
 

 

 
 
 
 
LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE
James Whitcomb Riley
 
Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay,
An' wash the cups and saucers up, an
brush the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an' dust the hearth, an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an' earn her board an' keep;
An' all us other children, when the supper things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an' has the mostest fun
A list'nin' to the witch tales 'at Annie tells about,
An' the Gobble-uns 'at gits you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
 
 
Onc't they was a little boy wouldn't say his prayers,--
So when he went to bed at night, away upstairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an' his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An' when they turn't the kivvers down, he wasn't there at all!
An they seeked him in the rafter room, an' cubbyhole, an' press,
An' seeked him up the chimbly flue, an' ever'wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found was thist his pants an' roundabout:--
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
 
 
An one time a little girl 'ud allus laugh an' grin,
An' make fun of ever'one, an' all her blood an' kin;
An' onc't, when they was "company," an' ole folks was there,
She mocked 'em an' shocked 'em, an' said she didn't care!
An' thist as she kicked her heels, an' turn't to run an' hide,
They was two great big Black Things a-standin' by her side;
An' they snatched her through the ceilin' fore she knowed what
she's about!
An' the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
 

 

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue
An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!
An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,
An' the lightnin' bugs in dew is all squenched away, --
You better mind yer parents, and yer teachers fond an' dear,
An' churish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,
An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you
Ef you
Don't
Watch
Out!
 
 
TWO WITCHES
Alexander Resnikoff
 
There was a witch
The witch had an itch
The itch was so itchy it
Gave her a twitch.
 
Another witch
Admired the twitch
So she started twitching
Though she had no itch.
 
Now both of them twitch
So it
Is hard to tell which
Witch has the itch and
Which witch has the twitch.
 
 
 
 
THE BOGUS-BOO
 
The Bogus-boo
Is a creature who
Comes out a night-- and why?
He likes the air;
He likes to scare
The nervous passer-by.
 
Out from the park
At dead of dark
He comes with huffling pad.
If, when alone,
You hear his moan,
"Tis like to drive you mad.
 
He has two wings,
Pathetic things,
With which he cannot fly.
His tusks look fierce,
Yet could not pierce
The merest butterfly.
 
He has six ears,
But what he hears
Is very faint and small;
And with the claws
On his eight paws
He cannot scratch at all.
 
He looks so wise
With his owl-eyes,
His aspect grim and ghoulish;
But truth to tell,
He sees not well
And is distinctly foolish.
 
This Bogus-boo,
What can he do
But huffle in the dark?
So don't take fright;
He has no bite
And very little bark.
 

 

 
 

ADVENTURES OF ISABEL

Ogden Nash
 
Isabel met an enormous bear
Isabel, Isabel, didn't care;
The bear was hungry, the bear was ravenous,
The bear's big mouth was cruel and cavernous.
The bear said, Isabel, glad to meet you,
How do, Isabel, now I'll eat you!
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry,
Isabel didn't scream or scurry.
She washed her hands and she straightened her hair up
Then Isabel quietly ate the bear up.
 
Once in a night as black as pitch
Isabel met a wicked old witch.
The witch's face was cross and wrinkled,
The witch's gums with teeth were sprinkled.
Ho, ho, Isabel! the old witch crowed,
I'll turn you into an ugly toad!
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry
Isabel didn't scream or scurry,
She showed no rage and she showed no rancor,
But she turned the witch into milk and drank her.
 
Isabel met a hideous giant,
Isabel continued self-reliant.
The giant was hairy, the giant was horrid,
He had one eye in the middle of his forehead.
Good morning, Isabel, the giant said,
I'll grind your bones to make my bread.
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry,
Isabel didn't scream or scurry.
She nibbled the Zwieback that she always fed off,
And when it was gone, she cut the giant's head off.
 
Isabel met a troublesome doctor,
He punched and he poked till he really shocked her.
The doctor's talk was of coughs and chills
And the doctor's satchel bulged with pills.
The doctor said unto Isabel,
Swallow this, it will make you well.
Isabel, Isabel, didn't worry,
Isabel didn't scram or scurry.
She took those pills from the pill concocter,
And Isabel calmly cured the doctor.
 
 
SKIN AND BONES
Traditional song
 
There was an old wom-an all skin and bones,
oo --- oo -----oo!
She lived down by the old grave-yard,
oo --- oo -----oo!
One night she thought she'd take a walk,
oo --- oo -----oo!
She walked down by the old grave-yard,
oo --- oo -----oo!
She saw the bones a-laying a-round,
oo --- oo -----oo!
She went to the closet to get a broom,
oo --- oo -----oo!
She op-ened the door and
 
BOO!