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Felicia Ann went to the front of the room with her paper Everyone smiled At one time, Felicia Ann had been so shy that she had always looked at the floor and rarely spoke But that was changing Even though herher speech probleun to be an enthusiastic, sometimes even talkative member of the class

From the front of the room, she asked the teacher a question "Doeth it have to have 'Couplet' ath a title? Becauth I have a different title"

"Oh eon told her "You are the complete ruler of the title Whatever you want it to be"

"Good," Felicia Ann replied "My title ith 'Neethe'"

"Neethe?" asked Beanie "What's that?"

"Let's wait and see," Mrs Pidgeon suggested "Go ahead, Felicia Ann"

Felicia Ann took a deep breath Her face was pink with excitement She looked at her paper and read:

Neethe

by Felithia Ann

Thuthan ith my little neethe

She doethn't yet have any teeth

Everyone was silent for a ot it, one by one

"Her niece!"

"Re sister had a baby?"

"It's Susan! That's her niece's naht!" said Felicia Ann "Thuthan!" She beamed with pride while the class applauded her couplet Then she sat down

"Tieon said She looked around "Malcolm Your turn"

Malcolm bounded to the front of the roo holes, and there were Magic Marker stains all over his hands

His paper was crumpled, but he smoothed it out and read in a loud voice:

Triplets

by Malcols and some not any

I have three That's two too hed and clapped, and Malcolm folded his paper into an airplane and sailed it across the rooe and rested on a stack of National Geographies

"Sos, isn't it?" Mrs Pidgeon a said "Thank you, Malcolm Good work Noho's next? Last one today!"

"I'll go," Gooney Bird announced She stood Today, in addition to her brain-warloves, the ones that she said war a fur collar at the neck of her sweatshirt The left leg of her jeans was rolled up to her knee so that her striped knee sock showed above her bunny slipper

"My poes, too," she said, "and it's a shortie, so I memorized it and I don't need to read it from the paper But" Gooney Bird looked around "Could some of you come up and stand here with me while I say it?"

"Why?" asked Chelsea "Are you scared?"

"I am never scared," Gooney Bird replied

"Embarrathed?" asked Felicia Ann

"I am never embarrassed," Gooney Bird said

"Why do you need us, then?" asked Keiko

"Because you are part of my poem Sometimes a poem is more than just words"

"Well, I'll be a part of Gooney Bird's poeeon announced "It would be an honor" She went and stood beside Gooney Bird at the front of the room

"Me, too!" said Beanie

"And me!"

"I want to, too!"

One by one the children got up fro lines on both sides of Gooney Bird Greene The lines made their way around the border of the rooe calendar on the wall

"We're a thircle!" Felicia Ann pointed out

"Now," Gooney Bird instructed, "hold hands, everyone!"

She reeon on one side and Malcolm on the other Around the circle every child reached out and held hands on both a sides

Gooney Bird looked around "Okay," she said, when they were all arranged "Here's my poem" In a firm, clear voice, she recited:

Child

by Gooney Bird Greene

I'm an only

But not lonely

4

"You proeon! You said we could do funny poeeon told the class "Humorous poems today" She went to the board and wrote a word: LIMERICK

Just then there was a knock on the classroom door It opened, and Mr Leroy, the principal, caahts and pawns and other chess pieces on it in a pattern "Just visiting," he said with a seon, still standing at the board, pulled her chair away froood," he said as he sat down in the teacher's chair "Thank you I don'tat a child's desk, but my knees are always stiff afterward"