JOSHUA'S MIDNIGHT SONG

His toes are no bigger

Than a kernel of corn

This tiny little stranger

who has just been born 

Scrunched up tight
In the middle of the night

His brother takes one look
and says:
He’s no bigger
than my foot

A mouth puckers up
like a thirsty rose
and wobbles about
beneath his button small nose
Our little stranger sweet
Can you see his tiny feet?

And his brother takes one look
Says: He’s no bigger
than my foot

OH-H-H!
He's a fuzz of taffy hair
and tiny fingers

under there

Do you think that he can squall?
I haven’t heard him yet at all

And EYES –
Just look and see!
They are blinking up at me
Dark and navy blue.
Oh my! Do you suppose
 he snipped them
from the sky?

See him squiggle-squirm up tight
Do you suppose he knows
It’s the middle of the night?

And look.  I tell you.  LOOK!
He IS no bigger than my foot

ABOUT MOONS AND BEDS AND THINGS...

 Hush up! Tiny baby

     Close your big dark eyes

The Nightman's brought his bucket

and painted black the skies

Hush up!  Tiny baby

Put down your fuzzy head

He shakes his Starry Blanket

It's time you were in bed

Hush up! Tiny baby

Don't let me hear a peep

He's hung his big moon lantern

It's time you were asleep

MILK FOR BREAKFAST

 SKURGLE   URGLE . . . . SKLURP

See your breakfast go

                            Ker-slurp-p-p!

SKURGLE   URGLE . . . . SKLOR

You're howling now

                              for more!!

SKURGLE   URGLE  . . . . SKILK

Watch the bubbles

                           churn the milk . . .

SKURGLE   URGLE . . . . SKLINGERS

Now you're chomping

                            on your fingers!

SKURGLE    URGLE . . . . SKLEAR

Oh yum!

                      They disappear!

SKURGLE   URGLE . . . . SKLIN

You've got a great

                           big grin!

SKURGLE   URGLE . . . . SKLURP

Now let's hear

                          a great big BUR-R-PP! 

IN THE MORNING EARLY

 What's the matter with today

Why you looking GLUMP that way?

If you were me

You'd be able to see

There's a big black cave

With your mouth ought to be

And the tongue that used to talk

Has suddenly begun to squawk

Won't your tummy

      Touch your toes?

Is your finger stuck

      Inside your nose?

Won't your eyelids

      Glue down tight?

Can't your mouth

      Turn up just right?

Don't you know

That great big frown

It's just a smile

Turned upside down?

You feel BLUE

Your tummy's GREEN

That scowl's the BLACKest

             thing I've seen

You're so mad

You're seeing RED

Way up there inside your head

There's just one way

To kick that feeling

Go up and skip

Across the ceiling!

Or better yet to tell the truth

You should be dancing on the roof

One GREAT BIG St-r-retch

       A yaw-n-n-n

Good grief!

That's fixed at all --

       You fell asleep!

IN THE BATH

 The sun shines in the window

It twinkles on your toes

        skips across bare belly

then -- oops -- away it goes...

Squeeze the squishy facecloth

The rain come down

                         KER SPLASH!

It patters on your tummy

             and tickles out a laugh

A drop gallops across the water

       splashes up upon your chin

Does a jig upon two dimples

            Rolls down

And starts again ....

PILES OF SMILES

 Where do you get

         your bucket of

                   smiles?

Because the bucket

     never goes dry 

They sparkle

     and twinkle

          in wee tiny

                 wrinkles 

Do you dip them

        out up the sky?

Is that where you go to

      when your fast asleep

and the sunshine

       falls out of the day?

Do you slip out instead

       from your tiny head

and trip through the Stars

            as they play?

What gives you those great big

             twinkle-y smiles?

Did an elephant tickle your toes?

A crocodile nibble behind your ear?

Or a bee fly inside your nose?

Oh no!   I'm quite sure

         that those smiles galore

are a part of the secret you keep

You scoop sparkle away

          from the Stars

        as they play

and pat it into grins as you sleep

DIAPER CHANGING

Joshua Joshua Joshua Poo-o-o!

Whatever are we going to do? 

Your bottom's YELLOW

Your bottom's GREEN

You're the BIGGEST mess I've seen

Whatever are we going to do?

You certainly don't smell like a rose!

       Your brother has to hold his nose

Sister throws her hands up in despair

       "There are Smell Bugs creeping

                 Through this air!

        Watch out! They'll get all over you"

Whatever are we going to do?

The neighbors will be petrified

(That means turned to stone inside)

Those Smell Bugs are everywhere!

            They've behind the door

            Creeping into the corners

      Coming up through the floor

He's a mess right to his knees

       We've got to do a Scrubdown

So bring the water PLEASE!

We're going to need a basin 

We're going to need a cloth

We're going to need some powder

         To get those Smell Bugs off!

Be sure and bring some tissue

No.     We won't need the glue!

But bring a brand new diaper

Oh.     And bring the baby too ...

Joshua Joshua Joshua.   Ah-h-h!

You're smelling sweeter now

                                     BY FAR