First Day Of School

Families, line up right here by twos and threes

And we’ll soon find out who it will be

Which child, no matter how difficult or nice,

Will be our school’s very first sacrifice!

For the ruling has come down from on high

That every district must give it a try

So please let’s stop that sobbing, no clothes will be rent

In this our great, long awaited experiment

So choose a number — that’s our fate

One family from each grade K through eight

Then in they’ll go to learn, to play, and have lunch

Rest assured we’re following every hunch

And measure sent from on high, every prophylactic

Would we send them in without strategy and tactics?

Let’s hope for the best, there’s no time to lose

Summer’s over, let’s go to school!

And should we lose a few in this session

At least it will have been some kind of science lesson.

Lego Nation Building Sonnet

Sometimes we don’t know until we’re halfway through

Sometimes we won’t know till we’ve finished

What it is we need to do to get beyond our limits

Now we need to complete a check of the parts

Why not lay them out … a child’s game is also an art

Is it a storage room? Is it a platform or a station?

A clean green pad may be where to start to build the nation

So much to do and the pieces are all over the floor

Those flat ones fit but they do not make a door

Here’s the instruction manual, but it’s without words

Maybe it’s better that way, I’ve heard,

When what we’re trying to do is unlearn

There are the very first steps, and are we having fun

Don’t worry, it’ll come out right, we are never really done