poem "The nap taker" (Shel Silverstein)
- Author: Shel Silverstein
- Publisher:
From the book Falling up (1996).
Text
- No - I did not take a nap -
- The nap - took - me
- off the bed and out the window
- far beyond the sea,
- to a land where sleepy heads
- read only comic books
- and lock their naps in iron safes
- so that they can't get took.
- And soon as I came to that land,
- I also came to grief.
- The people pointed at me, shouting,
- "Where's the nap, you thief?"
- They took me to the courthouse.
- The judge put on his cap.
- He said, "My child, you are on trial
- for taking someone's nap.
- "Yes, all you selfish children,
- you think just of yourselves
- and don't care if the nap you take
- belongs to someone else.
- It happens that the nap you took
- without a thought or care
- belongs to Bonnie Bowlingbrook,
- who's sittin' cryin' there.
- "She hasn't slept in quite some time -
- just see her eyelids flap.
- She's tired drowsy - cranky too,
- 'cause guess who took her nap?"
- The jury cried, "You're guilty, yes,
- you're guilty as can be.
- But just return the nap you took
- And we might set you free."
- "I did not take that nap," I cried,
- "I give my solemn vow,
- and if I took it by mistake
- I do not have it now."
- "Oh fiddle-fudge," cried out the judge,
- your record looks quite sour.
- Last night I see you stole a kiss,
- Last week you took a shower,
- "You beat your eggs, you've whipped your cream,
- at work you punched the clock,
- You've even killed an hour or two,
- we've heard you darn your socks.
- We know you shot a basketball,
- you've stolen second base,
- and we can see you're guilty
- From the sleep that's on your face.
- "Go lie down on your blanket now
- and cry your guilty tears.
- I sentence you to one long nap
- for ninety million years.
- And when the other children see
- this nap that never ends,
- no child will ever dare to take
- somebody's nap again."