How much wood would Pumpchuck the Woodchuck chuck at the Hyde Park Pumpkin Chuck?
He'd chuck none at all the first Saturday of November!
He'd lay down his logs and toss out his timber.
He’d trade in his wood planks for all the gourds he could ruck.
See, Pumpchuck was different from his wood-chucking peers
Who chucked all the wood that woodchucks could;
Day in and day out, the mindless and endless chucking of wood
Through the air. Then they’d pose and they’d flex,
But Pumpchuck’s heart wasn’t there, and his mind too complex.
“Is there more to life?” he wondered. What to do? I feel stuck.
The truth is, I’m just not a wood-chucking woodchuck.”
“Wood can build bridges, and that I do like.
But the splinters, they stab and they stick.
And worst of all, I’m not in their clique.
I want to belong and feel like I’m part.
I want something new to chuck
So I’ll follow my heart.
No more show-offs and scoffs,
No more harsh clanks and clatters.
I want something slimy and squishy,
That squashes and splatters.”
So the lovely orange fruit he hauled by the bevy,
Shyly arriving at H-P-S.
He carried the world's weight on his shoulders though it was heavy.
He feared he'd be shunned an outcast.
But greeted with open arms, warm hearts, all so kind!
That he was a woodchuck, no one seemed to mind!
Happy Hyde Park School was a place he could stay at long last;
And leave his wood-chucking days in the past!
Surrounded by loads of new friends and pumpkins too
Of all colors, shapes, and sizes,
He experienced something brand new, that always holds true.
There’s no need to change yourself
When you’re with the right bunch.
The odd one out fits in, as they are, they’re just right:
woodchucks, pumpkins, and people alike.
Game tickets in hand, baked goods to munch,
He chucked his pumpkins, some left and some right,
From head to toe, filled with delight.
He'd never felt so alive or loved more.
But it wasn't the flying pumpkins that made his heart soar.
The community pride, and those who volunteered, from Two to Three, even past Four.
Indeed, it was the spirit of Hyde Park School that struck the right chord.
The woodchuck’s faith restored, his soul transformed,
Owed all to the Pumpkin Chuck’s hero, the Mighty Orange Gourd.
