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Tyrone put on his who-eon went to his desk and reached out her hand "You know the rules, Tyrone," she said, and he handed her the sencies," he said defensively

"And what sort of eency do you anticipate?"

"Ah, a bear may be comin’ into the classrooraders

"In come a bear, but Tyrone doan care, when the kids all yell he just dial his cell"

Mrs Pidgeon, who usually enjoyed Tyrone’s raps, glared at him and dropped the cell phone into the top drawer of her desk "As I was about to say, I usually begin eacha poem"

"Oh, I love when you do that I love po-emth," Felicia Ann said Her top front teeth were slow in coap there that made it hard for her to say an s

"That was a poe," Ben pointed out "France rhyeon strode to his desk and cla," she continued, still with her restraining hand on Ben but s at Felicia Ann, "I had chosen a winter poe over the intercom about a snowstorm on the way, Tyrone, you" She looked over at Tyrone, as busy folding a piece of paper into a cootie-catcher

He glanced up at the sound of his name "Who, me? I didn’t do nuthin!" Then he corrected hi"

Mrs Pidgeon laughed "It wasn’t anything you did It hat you said You said" She looked around at the children "Anyone remember? Tyrone said, ’Snow day’"

"’Okay!’" several children called "’Snow day! Okay!’ That’s what he said!"

Mrs Pidgeon nodded "And it occurred topoem with just those three words"

The class fell silent They looked at her Beanie raised her hand When the teacher nodded at her, she said with a frown, "It can’t be a poe a poeh to say what you want it to say And here is what Tyrone wanted to say" She went to the board Carefully, in her neat printing, she wrote:

SNOW DAY!

OKAY!

The class looked at the words Malcolm, who could never remember to raise his hand, called, "No way!"

With the eraser, Mrs Pidgeon removed the words She smiled Then she wrote:

SNOW DAY!

NO WAY!

Malcolrinned "I made a poem!" he said in a surprised, proud voice

"I did mine already," Tyrone pointed out "Snow day! Okay!"

"Me, too," said Malcol her hand "Can I write ave her the chalk and Keiko wrote:

SNOW DAY!

LET’S PLAY!

Next Tricia wrote:

SNOW DAY!

HOORAY!

"I never knew a poem could be little," Felicia Ann said in her soft, shy voice

"A poem can be whatever you ot up from her desk, took her turn at the board, and wrote:

SNOW DAY!

I’LL SAY!

Mrs Pidgeon looked at Gooney Bird as she stood at the board with her two red ponytails protruding from the ruffled holes "I’m sorry, but I have to ask this," she said "I don’t h But, Gooney Bird, are those underpants on your head?"

Gooney Bird thought for a moment Then she said, in a patient voice, "Once it was underpants Now it’s a two-ponytail hat It’s like a poem It can be whatever you want it to be

"Actually," she went on, and reached for the ruffled fabric, "I’ to take it off now The elastic hurts eon with a srinned "Aha! A poe toward theOutside, they could see the first flakes of snow beginning to fall

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By the next h to cancel school The buses arrived one by one, their wheels slurping through the slush and shooting wet snow along the edge of the sidewalk so that the walkers, the children who lived near the school, had to jump aside

Gooney Bird Greene entered the classrooan to remove hats and mittens and jackets and boots They all kept indoor footwear in their cubbies One by one they lined up their wet boots and changed into their dry slippers and clogs and Crocs