Homework

Seems a century ago I started teaching school With Elementary children so difficult to fool, They were bright and resilient and easily lead Amazing the things that went through their head. I scheduled homework only twice in a week Because I believed those kids deserved a tweak From the grind of many long days without any break It was hard enough afternoons to keep them awake. Despite my leniency when it came to work and play I demanded their homework brought the following day And many were the excuses for not having it finished, Even the true and funny seldom would go unpunished. The standard “I left it at home” was, oh, so common As was “My dog ate it this morning, Mr. Dunham,” But the one excuse that was entirely magical overkill Was “My homework was eaten by a flaming pterodactyl!” Written January 17, 2021 For the “My Homework Was Eaten” Contest