Oh Eraser!
Keeper of my secrets, knower of my mischievous graphite heart.
Before I even had a point, you had my back.

So maybe I draw a curly-ended mustache on a muskrat,
a booger on a boa constrictor,
and tiny heiney cheeks… well, everywhere.
And maybe that boa constrictor toots, and I need to SHOW that he did
by sketching a little cloud trailing behind his… behind.

Butt, do you judge me?
No. Not even just now, when I wrote “butt” instead of “but”.
You, with your gummy grace – you erase – you make it all disappear.

Before the teacher walks by to collect my work,
you wiggle and shimmy to remove my sneaky doodles.
And for that, I love you, oodles and oodles!

 

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Lizzie Brooks is a mom, yoga teacher and writer whose work is published with Yoga International, Door is a Jar Literary Magazine, Beyond Words Literary and more. Her children’s stories are represented by Jen Newens of Martin Literary. She lives in the mountains with her husband, son, and two dogs – none of whom enjoy her constant puns as much as she does.