by Peter Mawhorter, with apologies to Deborah Ruddell
The helpful reviewer
who rated “accept”
was uncommonly nice
’cause they didn’t reject
like the second reviewer
who tore it apart,
without understanding
the simplest part;
but the third learned peer
was the final insult:
no useful comments
and a “borderline” result.
This poem is based on “Toad’s Lunch” by Deborah Ruddell, from her book “A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk,” which is an excellent book for reading to babies (or anyone, really).