by Kenn Nesbitt
I’m having trouble thpeaking,
thinthe I lotht my middle tooth.
Jutht yethterday my tooth wath fine —
today it wiggled loothe.
At firtht I thought it thilly,
when my tooth fell out today,
But no one theems to underthtand
a thingle word I thay.
I athked my mom to clothe the door,
she thaid “That would be rude.
The door does not like wearing clothes;
it’s happy in the nude.”
I thaid a mouthe wath in my room
and she should come and thee.
She thaid “your mouth is on your face;
it’s right where it should be.”
I wonder if you underthtand
the thircumthtanthe I’m in.
I told her I wath feeling thick.
She thaid “you’re looking thin.”
At latht she thaw how mad I wath,
And thought I might thtop breathing.
She laughed and thaid she didn’t mean it —
She wath only teething.
Copyright © 2001 Kenn Nesbitt. From the book The Aliens Have Landed at Our School! Meadowbrook Press. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt is the author of many books for kids, including Kiss, Kiss Good Night, My Hippo Has the Hiccups, Revenge of the Lunch Ladies, and many others. His poems have appeared in numerous bestselling anthologies, including every book in the popular Kids Pick the Funniest Poems series, and anthologies with nearly two million copies in print. His work has been published in hundreds of school textbooks around the world, as well as national television programs, and numerous children’s magazines. Kenn travels the country, visiting over 60 schools each year, sharing his wacky brand of poetry with kids nationwide, and helping to create a new generation of poetry lovers. His website, poetry4kids.com, is the most visited children’s poetry website on the Internet.
Plays on words that match the toothless lisp? Masterfully done, especially the slam-bang ending!