summertime in river world (a tribute to Doctor Seuss)

Summertime and all is green and bright.
When bees and fish and mice are dancing and singing all night. 

What do you do in summer?
It’s for sure never a bummer.
You could look for a cat
wearing a super tall hat
or you could play with a chicken.
A chicken named Rickin.
“Rickin?” you say. “But Rickin is a silly name for a chicken.”
Can you think of a new name for the chicken?
Hurry, because the time, it is a-tickin’

I’ll smack at that chicken
who calls himself Rickin.
I’ll wave my stick
That will do the trick.

With a good swing,
I can do anything.

I swing with a flair
as it waves in the air.

And down comes the bird
with nary a word

I watch it fall,
spilling out candy for all.

Back by the river stand the trees, tall and small,
birds, large and small, sing out and call.
They sing their bird songs,
their very long bird songs.

Oh, says that cat, who rides in the boat.
I think that I will hop out for a float.
But no, says the dog, a cat does not like to swim.
Are you a barber? You could give my hair a trim.

Back on land, the cat wandered off to look for some berries
or grapes or cherries or some extra fine cherries.
He had fallen from the boat into the drink.
Causing his nose to become a strange shade of pink.

At the end of the day,
the cats go out to play.
They write,
they fight,
they bite,
they fall in a space
that is very
very
very
very
tight.

Then the cats go to visit the mice
They bring something nice.
A bit of cheese
a toy that the squeeze
to make a squeak
because that is mouse for speak.

They plant a lovely flower
to show off the mousy power
to show that the cat will be a friend
far beyond the end.

5 thoughts on “summertime in river world (a tribute to Doctor Seuss)”

  1. Francene Stanley

    I like the way you've illustrated the poem. But the words? Whoever heard of cats writing. The poet just added the word to have another that rhymed. Oh, Doctor Seuss, you're cheating.

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