The summertime was flying by
And Sammy Snake would sit and sigh,
"Oh, why can't summer last all year?
Why, time for school will soon be here."
The coming year made Sam afraid
Cause he would be in second grade.
They told him that he had the stuff,
But first grade had been pretty tough.
As in the sun Sam warmed and turned
He thought about the things he'd learned.
Then thought about the friends he'd made.
And he felt good about first grade.
He remembered learning how to read.
It had taken lots of work, indeed.
Some of the sounds he'd often miss.
His "o" sometimes came out as "iss."
He tried to count, when he was done:
Poor Sam had counted up to one!
But before you laugh, just suppose,
You had no fingers and no toes.
Their teacher helped him understand.
He counted sticks, he had no hand.
So Sam tried hard and "snakes alive,"
He soon could count to twenty five.
Spelling and writing were a mess
As he spelled hiss with just one "s."
But found before the year was through
That he could even write a "Q."
His music class was pretty nice,
He laughed when they sang "Three Blind Mice."
A fun thing, when they got the chance,
Was music with the Limbo Dance.
So as he lazed in the summer sun,
He thought, "First Grade was really fun."
And he crawled out to the local mall.
To find some new school clothes for Fall.
Then all at once, I don't know why,
A bright red shoe just caught his eye.
It sure looked nice, he thought he'd try it.
It slipped right on, no need to tie it.
He bought that and a red cap, too,
Because it matched his brand new shoe.
Red shoe on bottom, red cap on top,
Since he couldn't walk, he had to hop.
So Sam woke up with joy, not fear,
When opening day of school was here.
His mom packed lunch, as snake moms do,
And Sammy left in his red shoe.
Soon those snake kids, both big and small,
All cheered as Sam hopped down the hall.
Then they all hissed, "For goodnesss sssake,
Move over for our 'SSSneaker SSSnake.' "
His teacher, Mrs. Viper said,
"Oh, Sammy, you look good in red!
That fancy shoe might bring you fame.
Now hop up here and write your name."
His shoe dropped by the old chalk rail
And he picked a piece up with his tail.
He soon wrote "Sam," then with a sigh,
He finished with a "m" and "y."
And then, amid some frightened looks,
She told them, "Open your math books."
But soon Sam's faith began to soar,
He answered right, the sum was four!
And recess time was quite a treat
He hopped about. He felt so neat.
The kids all said, "What a cute red cap."
And Sammy's hop became a tap.
His tapping made a steady beat,
Rollie Rattler cried, "That's sweet,
You've got rhythm, you're way cool,
I'll rattle for you, you dancin' fool"
With Rollie rattlin' and Sammy tappin,'
The crowd went wild and started clappin,'
"Hooray," they cried, "hooray for you,
Our SSSneaker SSSnake in that magic SSShoe."
They went back in for "Show and Tell."
And Sammy thought that it went well:
He told about his Uncle Rube
Who fell in love with a plastic tube.
When they got their crayons out
Sammy wanted to hiss and shout.
He drew a snake dressed up in red,
It stood in a shoe, cap on its head.
And Sammy said, at the final bell,
"Wow, second grade is really swell.
It's nice to have chalk on my chin
And crayons in my fangs again."
—Grandpa Tucker
Copyright ©1999 by Bob Tucker