Funny Friday

Funny Friday - Dennis Lee

What Will You Be 

They never stop asking me 

"What will you be?--
A doctor, a dancer, 
A diver at sea?" 

They never stop bugging me: 
"What will you be?" 

As if they expect me to 
Stop being me. 

When I grow up I'm going to be a Sneeze, 
And sprinkle Germs on all my Enemies. 

When I grow up I'm going to be a Toad, 
And dump on Silly Questions in the road. 

When I grow up, I'm going to be a Child. 
I'll Play the whole darn day and drive them Wild.

From Garbage Delight, 1977

Dennis Lee was born on August 31, 1939, in Toronto, Ontario.    He is best known for his collections of cleverly-rhymed children's verse.                                                                                   Wiggle to the Laundromat (1970) was written for his daughters, and like much of his writing, drew upon his experiences as a parent.                                                                                       His other books of poems for children include Alligator Pie (1974), one of the best-selling Canadian children's books of all time; Nicholas Knock and Other People (1974); Garbage Delight (1977); and Jelly Belly (1983).                                                In much of his work, he uses Canadian place-names, local cultural idiosyncrasies, and environmental issues to try to communicate a sense of national identity, but his poems have proven popular among English-speaking audiences all over the world.