My favorite poem

Grandmother wrote lots of wonderful poems for her own children as they were growing up. My father, Bruce and my Aunt Judy were the subjects of many of them themselves. My favorite of Grandmother's poems, though, has to be "Lion." Even as a kid I could recite it from memory and often shared it for "Show and Tell" at school. In fact, I often shared Grandmother herself for show and tell!

Later, as I grew up, I became a fan of Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein poems. I can even recite many of them from memory. I use one or two as the basis of puppet shows. But no one poem has the impact of that toothless old lion up in the tree!

Lion

by Helen Graebner

There's a big old Lion

living up in our tree

But no one can see him

but Mommy and me.

He's a fierce old fellow

but he won't bite you

'Cause he hasn't any teeth,

so he cannot chew!

He lives on soup and milk and tea,

That big old Lion living up in our tree!

He swishes his tail

and he groans and growls,

He shakes his head

and he moans and howls.

He's a fierce old fellow,

but he won't bite you

'Cause he hasn't any teeth

so he cannot chew!