Tiger Tales #58 - Christmas Verse

Christmas Verse
By Ruth Plumly Thompson
Author of The Curious Cruise of Captain Santa, "The Wizard of Pumperdink", "King, King! Double King!", etc.

Originally published in the Phiadelphia Public Ledger.

It's the Sandman's Fault
[Dec. 24, 1916]

No wonder boys and girls have such
A time to go to sleep
On Christmas Eve, and have to count
Almost a million sheep!
Why, the Sandman has so many gifts
For folks in High Sky Land
Tucked in his sack, there's scarcely
Any room for dreams and sand!
And then he stops, the merry elf,
To trim the Milky Way
With greens and wish each separate star
A happy holiday;
And pins his stocking to a cloud
For Santa Claus to fill -
I think we'll have to 'scuse him, though,
I really think we will!

Untitled
[Dec. 2, 1917]

The first of December
Is horribly long,
Every day seems a week,
Don't you know!
There isn't a boy or a girl
Who'll not say
That the first of the month
Is too slow!
But goodness alive,
Take the end of the month,
Christmas week,
Why, it seems like a day!
Now this hardly is fair,
And I'm wishing that there
Were some sort of a plan
Or a way
To remedy matters.
I think I'll just see
If the calendar man
Can arrange
To turn them about
And stretch Christmas week out
For I'm sure we're in need
Of the change!

Untitled
[December 23, 1917]

You funny old Christmas moon,
Why do you frown?
Is it 'cause you've no chimney
For Kris to come down?

A Letter From a Good Boy
[December 23, 1917]

Dear old Man,
I'd like a cake of good, strong soap,
A rat trap, safety pins,
A real stiff whisk, a saucepan,
And a lot to eat, in tins,
A dozen pair of woolen socks,
And after that some smokes,
But more than anything, old man,
A letter from the folks!
--Sammy.

Old Santa's bag was full of notes
Like this, and at their benches
His brownies filled the orders for
The good boys in the trenches.

THE FORGETFUL POET
By Ruth Plumly Thompson
Originally published in the Philadelphia Public Ledger, December 30, 1917.

A Pocketful of Rhymes

And a riddle in each, or so the Forgetful Poet tells me.
? ? ? ? ?
It breaks a million times a day
And still is not destroyed,
And, strange enough, it's breaking
Is by old and young enjoyed!

All the blanks walk, swim or fly
? ? ? ? ?
There was a lad
Who rose _____ times,
For he had much to do;
His _____en was
Su_____ent for
A lad of his age, too.

He _____ the mark
And if you're like
The laddie in this story.
I'll just include you
In this space
And place and _____egory!

Last week's answers were Wales and Finland. As for the pets, the Forgetful Poet sent me this list. I am sure that many of you found more than he did: Pet, an animal, or term of endearment, petrify, impetus, impetuous, petticoat, parapet, petal, petty, petiole, pettish, petulant and pettifog.

[Answers next time.]

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