Once I spoke the language of the flowers, Once I understood each word the caterpillar said, Once I smiled in secret at the gossip of the starlings, And shared a conversation with the housefly in my bed.

More from Where the Sidewalk Ends

• He was almost there, when...
• He was almost there, when... Smash! Crash! Bash! He slid down and mashed into engine hash
• If you are a dreamer, Come in. If you are a dreamer, A wisher, A liar, A hoper, A prayer, A magic-bean-buyer, If you're a pretender, Come sit by my fire, For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Come in!
• If you have to dry the dishes (Such an awful boring chore) If you have to dry the dishes (‘Stead of going to the store) If you have to dry the dishes And you drop one on the floor Maybe they won’t let you Dry the dishes anymore
• Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.
• Teddy said it was a hat,