What I Did On Summer Vacation **A Children's Tale**
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"Life is uncharted territory. It reveals its
story one moment at a time."
-Leo F. Buscaglia
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She looked at me with cold, black eyes,
Through spec's two inches thick
And asked what I did for Summer,
And I knew it was a trick.
Teachers do that to the kids
Who have to go to class.
So, when she asked again, I said,
"No thanks. I think I'll pass."
"Pass what?" She asked, her eyes like slits
As dark as eyes can be.
"What did you do all summer long?
Just sit at home and watch TV"
"But you're such an intelligent boy,
You should have read a book or two.
I'd have hoped you would have gone somewhere,
Like perhaps the city zoo."
"Or played softball in the local park
With the other kids in town.
It's so sad to see someone just sit at home
When there's so much to do around."
...........................................
I chewed my lip and looked around.
Was I the only one
Who thought this was one of the
Dumbest things we've ever done?
I shook my head and said,
"I'm really not supposed to tell.
My Uncle Nibb stopped on by
On his way to St. Carmel.
"He was on a secret mission,
For Chef Utterbutterbanks.
And we had the best time ever.
And I forgot to tell him thanks."
But she did not believe me.
She did not believe me one small bit.
She folded her arms and tapped her shoe
And said "We'd love to hear about it..."
Yeah, it was a trap. A big one too!
The biggest trap of all.
She looked at me with her thin, black eyes,
And I felt one half inch tall.
............................................
"Come on. Come on. Out with it, boy!
We do not have all day.
Your Uncle came and got you.
What did you do while you were away?"
"First we..." was what came out first.
And my Teacher was not pleased.
Because after that the words
Just seemed to flow with super ease.
I said, "First we went to Switzerland,
Where we tobogganed down a hill.
We ate pizza on the Matterhorn,
And stayed there all day, until
Eleven hundred Police showed up
And we had to get away!
But Uncle Nibb knew what to do,
I watched him good that day.
He has a friend from Portugal
Who owns a zeppelin.
And he picked us up in one quick swoop.
And we flew away, and then...
...................................
We went swimming in the Amazon.
We played tennis with a Gnome.
And I'd have had much more to show you
If they had let me bring him home.
When we went to Istanbul
I had my fortune read.
You'd have really been quite impressed
With what the Gypsy said.
In China we had ice cream rice,
Which is better than you'd think.
Though I couldn't find the ice cream,
And all the rice was pink.
We finally got to Paris
At about the noonish hour
And tossed brand new copper pennies
From something called the Eiffel Tower.
We watched the sunset set in India,
Where we saw the Taj Mahal.
It was the biggest mahal I've ever seen,
Almost three billion taj's tall!"
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My Teacher shook her head at this.
She was not very happy.
I'd have to think up something fast,
And it better be snappy.
"But I'm just guessing, you know,
Because I've seen it in the books.
But those pictures that they show you
Are nothing like it really looks!"
"We joined a caravan in Egypt
Where we traveled through the night,
And Uncle Nibb explained the mystery
Of nearly every star in sight."
"And when we finally reached St. Carmel,
We were tuckered out a spell.
Uncle Nibb picked up the spices
That Chef Utterbutterbanks knew so well."
"He brought us home last Tuesday
And we slept till Wednesday night.
It was the funnest time I've ever had.
Even Dad says it was all right."
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My Teacher scowled a triple scowl,
And shook her boney head.
"I am going to speak with your parents!"
Were the last words to me she said.
I was sent home very early.
My Teacher said I'd told a fib.
"She didn't believe a word I said."
I told my Uncle Nibb.
My Uncle Nibb just grinned, then laughed.
He was gone most of the day.
When he got back he punched my arm
And said, "Go on out and play."
When I went back to school the next day
My Teacher was very nice.
She told the class there really is
Such a thing as Ice Cream Rice.
She also said that everything
That I told to them was true.
Except the part about the Gnome,
But that was okay too.
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Then she asked me about Istanbul
Where I had my fortune read,
She was rather curious
With what the Gypsy said.
I shrugged that shrug I always shrug,
Kicked my heels hard at the floor.
"She said my future shined a shine
She'd never seen before."
"She named adventures that would seek me out,
Described the wonders I would see.
She just went on and on about
Those things she saw for me."
And my Teacher seemed quite satisfied,
She grinned a grin that opened wide,
And beamed just like a skittle pin,
About this tale I'd knew I'd never ever
Ever tell again.
Copyright © 2001 Richard D. Remler
October 15, 2001
I loved this imaginative write Richard..brilliantly recounted - I bet that teacher never forgot this one all her life!!! Terrific and entertaining poetry...
Hahaha! Superb! Marvelous! Delightful to laugh out loud, and that this quite handily provoked. Wow, what a breathtaking whale of an adventuresome summer this rascal had, with a weasel of a teacher to listen and get mad. Impressive and too fun, absolutely enjoyable and original. Lucky chap. I love it! Excellent imagery and rhyming flow too. Aye, downright brilliant.