THE WATERMELON TREE

The hot summer sun
Shines through window panes.
I sit; Watermelon juice
Dribbles down my chin.
"Be careful
Not to swallow any seeds,"
Mommy warns, "For a tree
Will grow in your belly
And sprout from your head."
My heart sank; Already, I knew
Some beady black seeds
Lay deep in my tummy.
For a week, I wore a baseball cap tight
Over my head,
Determined not to die.

THE RHINO'S BALLET

We see frightened ladybugs,
Fallen trees, and trampled flowers
And think, What a tragedy!
But the rhinoceros asks,
With a tear in his giant eye,
Is it so wrong for me to dance?