I Hope to See the Forest

I wrote this 279-word poem for my summer ESL class on phonics and accent reduction. It includes about a dozen pairs of vocab words highlighting syllable count and long vs. short vowel sounds. The words came from the first two units of  Judy Gilbert’s Clear Speech, 4th Edition. Enjoy, and feel free to share and reuse with attribution.

I Hope to See the Forest

I hope to see the forest—
The land of oak and pine.
I hope to see the forest;
I’ll be the first in line.

I’ve waited to be entertained.
They’ve saved a seat for me on the train.
I’ll hop right on; it’s all arranged.
I hope the forest isn’t lame!

I got to pet a goat last fall,
Fed cheese to dancing mice.
I also got to pat a lamb,
Which caused me to feel nice!

I didn’t pet the bear cub.
(I’ve heard they can be mean!
They bite the most terrific bite
That you have ever seen!

My boss was bit by a baby bear;
It cracked his teeth and tangled his hair
And folded his fingers and then made him swear;
I think that’s correct, but then, I wasn’t there.)

My outfit is folded; my plane has landed;
I wouldn’t miss this for the world!
I can’t wait to see the seeds that were planted
By the men and the women, the boys and the girls.

I’ll measure it all with my measuring tape,
Put some some acorns in a pan and bake up an acorn cake,
Then I’ll tap with a pen or a pin on a rake
And I’ll rake all the leaves that have covered the lake!

I can add up the numbers from one to eleven;
I can draw you a sphere or a cube;
I can aid you in solving a crossword puzzle;
I’m always helpful and never rude.

Please take me to see the forest soon!

I hope to see the forest—
What’s that? The forest’s closed?
I guess it’s back into the closet
With all my forest clothes.

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