The forever flamboyant Penny Popper!
When it comes to dapper dress, none can top her!
She struts about town in the finest,
More made up than any royal highness.

Her alligator boots were where it began,
Then blue leather pants cinched by a belt of snake skin,
With a fox fur coat and turtle shell crown
You’d have to flip the world to bring her down!

But then the turtle missed its home.
The cow felt nude without its case.
The fox got cold.
The snake’s friends didn’t recognize its sweet little face.
And no one’s afraid of a gator without scales.
So they all returned to their proper place.

They all squirmed back into themselves,
Filling their skins full to the brim.
But Penny and those critters worked things out.
Now she just wears them.

Drawn by KakieMix

There was an old lady of Perm,
Who attended a ball with a worm;
They cleared the dance floor,
Then boogied some more,
That gambolling old couple of Perm.

There was a young lady in yellow,
Who refused to ever say “hello”;
When people drew nigh,
She’d only say “bye”,
That perplexing young lady in yellow.

There was an old man of ‘Fenokee,
Who slowly grew more and more croaky;
‘Til his true colors showed,
He turned into a toad,
That warty old man of ‘Fenokee.

Here I am, Luck!
Standing right here!
Where are you, Luck?
I feel no fear
Of you, come near!

What’s that?
Luck’s not looking for me?
Odd.
Why wouldn’t she be?
I’m all too ready
To hear her applaud
Me being me.

She doesn’t give to give?
My only Luck is tough?
Well, okay.
Fair enough.
But as I live,
I’mma come find you, Luck!

You like to hear of tall tales.
A boy saw truth in the blue,
The blue of the river trails,
The truth of himself plainly
As he looked in a place he knew
To be clear of self-served veils
Yet full of the hidden, strangely.

Attention brings attention,
The river drank him in:
“The kingly hills are high above
But you’re down mucking in the mud
Where every last lost lover of
Knowing all has dreamt of flood
Then fled a cloud’s fluffy grin.
What could you ever hope to win?”

“I want all of me,” he said,
Lighting up the kind of mind
That finds a way where none have tread,
Not gods nor mice, alive or dead.

The river knew and now instead
Of falling down the mountain blind,
Everywhere that wet boy goes
The river trails behind.

All new streams, you may suppose,
Mean the boy’s not far ahead.

I’ve no interest in the realms of men
But I will rule the land of pretend.
All that’s not and never been
Are my kin beyond the end.

This plays off of Humpty Dumpty by Mother Goose.

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty sat through the Fall.
All Winter’s forces turned twice past ten
Couldn’t drop Humpty or set him aspin.

It was nothing all that brave or strong,
He found a good spot where he might belong,
He sat and he twiddled and liked to stare
But as he sat there he forgot to care.

So he sat for weeks, he sat for seasons,
He sat and flat out forgot the reasons
He had to stand or fight or dance
Or chase a monkey or take a chance.

He sat until Spring woke the world
And with her goldly green unfurled
He felt the need to grow as well
And so he leapt and gladly fell.

Humpty shattered on the rocky floor
Waiting to make him less and more,
He picked up the pieces doing the same,
Picking up pieces untouched by shame.

He put himself back together again,
A little less tall, a little more thin,
Standing up straight, just a little more him,
Off the wall and off on a whim.

Drawn by Giacomo  (find more from this artist here: dubook.tumblr.com )

Teachers say, “Do your homework!”

I say, “For me, that don’t work.”

“‘Does not!’ ‘Does not work!’ Study!”

Dull. Language is muddy.
Let me play in it as I please.
You ain’t the only one with its keys.

Give me homework that does me.
Let me set my homework free.

I could learn Lego science
And the politics of giants.
How to divide by cloud
And the history of loud.
When best to dress a troll
And the art of digging a hole.
How to sing in the hiccup choir
And why to play with fire.

I might just have to turn
To teaching if I ever want to learn.

Mother’s called us to do battle!
To arms! To arms! Grab any weapon that’ll
Fell the scurrilous scoundrels of the garden – weeds.
They invade without mercy and commit the wickedest of deeds,
Thieving from the proper plants and strangling their seeds.
No fear, we’re here! Into the fray we leap!
No noxious weed shall stand in Mother’s garden keep.

Illustrated by Dominic

I’m as me as I can be.
But what if there were more of me?
What if I were we?

Twins? Triplets? Fourples? Fiveplets?
Why stop there? Why stop at all?
I should be me from wall-to-wall!

Every person should have their own personal me.
And every me deserves their own me for free!
Dare I say two? I’ll take three!

What’s that you say? Yes, please!
Bring me on in. Commence project mes!
I’ll be a whole class. I’ll be a whole team.
I’ll be a whole country with me as the theme!

Of course, with so many mes … I am … who?
I think I might have to try being a … you.

Part I

Fey fought for the rats in the Furball War,
In that war she slew herself.
From the Frowning Hills to the Star Dust Shore,
The rats, bats, mice, and the gray cats four,
Fought and fell in filth.

They made their home into a madman land,
Replacing peace with pain.
Fey’s heart revolted but she owed her hand
To the rat prince Fink and his command
Was fan and fly into the flame.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.

Part II

Their ending began when greed took hold,
Once in it won’t slip off.
A crown was made of cold flame and cruel gold,
But who would rule?  Let their souls be sold
For the price of never enough.

Their greed it grew as greed will do,
They piled hurt on hurts.
The rats called Fey and she came true,
Giving her a most terrible view
As hate howled loud in hearts.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.

Part III

Fourteen years before this war betrayed
For not and nothing,
Fey’s town near drowned in a cockroach raid,
A seething insect sea that preyed
On any but the strong.

But roving rats heard cries and came,
Heroes are never far.
They sent every roach away in shame,
Grateful Fey swore an oath that gave them claim
(Though she was but five) to her.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.

Drawn by Thora

Part IV

Rats ran alongside searching spears,
Mice taught arrows to fly.
Well-armored cats carried small creatures’ fears,
Dive-bombing bats were spurred blurs of shears,
Fey fought with tears in her eyes.

The cursed crown called all to conquer,
Ending better quests.
Violent victims rose and crashed together,
Steady stealing pieces of each other
Till all that’s left were ghosts.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.

Part V

As Fey faced war there stirred in her
A strength that comes with calm.
While fear and fury unmeasured and pure
Stormed the field a cutting cure occurred –
All might fall to shame.

Fey flew into that flaming crown,
Burning gold to dust.
She met the curse and struck it down,
Losing herself but gaining ground
Against the warring host.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.

Part VI

A madman land can only stand
By pain and greed and hate.
Fey threw them off and freed her band
Of furball foes as if she’d planned
To find an endless fight.

Grief came home but the fallen never rose,
Some things that go are gone.
They built monuments in rows so those
Deeds might teach and keep heroes from more woes,
But the forgetting’s never done.

War came for Fey and for them all,
Lighting the way with the darkest glimmer.
The last one standing’s just the last to fall,
With war the only winner.