Funny Poem for Kids

A Humorous Tale Of Attending Summer Camp

An exaggerated description of the perils of attending summer camp as a boy. I wrote this over forty years ago for my students. After all the years, it remains my personal favorite.

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It is really a beautiful poem which blends childhood imagination, narration, and joyful experiences. "It is some terrific summer camp, The coolest one around."

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Summer Camp Souvenirs

Published by Family Friend Poems June 2019 with permission of the Author.

When I got home from camp today,
My parents almost died.
They asked me how I got this way,
And here's what I replied:

This little cast from heel to hip
Is nothing much at all.
Some broken shingles made me slip
From off the dining hall.

The poison ivy's not too bad.
It missed my back and chest.
Of course, I guess I oughta add
Mosquitoes got the rest.

I tried to eat some hick'ry nuts
And cracked a tooth or two.
And all these bruises, scabs, and cuts?
I haven't got a clue.

I got the lump that's on my head
From diving in the lake.
I should've watched for rocks instead
Of grabbing for the snake.

That leaves this bandage on my chin
And these three finger sprains,
Along with lots of sunburned skin
And sniffles from the rains.

I also got a muscle cramp
And very nearly drowned.
It's some terrific summer camp,
The coolest one around.

ABOUT THE POET:

After discharge from the army, I became a high school business teacher and coached several sports in a small town in Southern Pennsylvania. Years later I switched to teaching in the middle school and discovered that almost all of the poems in the reading textbooks were free verse. As a boy, I'd been fascinated by the rhymes and rhythmic...

more by Richard Thomas

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