A Lecture on Thumb-Sucking April 27, 2008

oh, don’t be foolish, don’t be dumb

why must you children suck on thumbs?

it really isn’t very nice

and some have paid a heavy price

poor Abigail, for instance, found

her teeth were being quickly ground

away, for rubbing of the thumb

wore down her teeth right to the gum

she can’t eat solids anymore

but sucks her food up through a straw

which doesn’t matter when she drinks

but every now and then she thinks

it would be nice to have some bread

or other chewy things instead

but this is not the worst of things

which sucking thumbs can sometimes bring

for little Tom once sucked away

all through the night and through the day

he sucked his thumb right to the bone

but didn’t stop at that alone

oh no, he sucked his hand away

and then his arms, until one day

his body was a skeleton

his flesh had just completely gone

and though he couldn’t suck his head

he’d sucked too far and thus dropped dead

 

Moral

 

it’s most unwise, as Tom now knows

to suck on fingers, thumbs or toes

 

 

Paul Hughes 2008