The Dirigible Balloon
Poetry for Children

A Punny Thing Happened on the Way to the North Pole

Only days ‘til Christmas,
and everything’s all wrong!
Santa Claus is missing!
Oh, where could he have gone?

Five Christmas mysteries
need to find an answer!
Starting with what’s wrong
with the reindeer known as Dancer.

In the rain for far too long,
now he’s feeling dizzy.
No one wants a RAINDEER
that’s sneezing and all frizzy!

After some alfalfa soup
he snored a mighty snore.
Now that he is up to snuff,
time for problem four.

The cookies are like crackers,
too crispy and too thin.
Neglectful elves forgot the eggs.
They didn't get put in!

A brand new batch is no big deal.
An easy recipe.
No need to EGGS-aggerate!
Time for problem three.

The candy canes are ruined.
They’re really quite a sight.
More like candy triangles,
but none of them are RIGHT!

The lead technician elf
knows exactly what to do.
A simple glitch is quick to fix!
Time for problem two!

The naughty list was not checked twice.
Was it checked at all?
Naughty kids mixed in with nice.
Which elf made that call?

The guilty elf was gaming.
Just trying to have fun.
Turn off HoHoHoBlox.
Time for problem one!

Christmas cannot happen
without the fella known as Santa.
Is he feeling sick?
Or stuck in traffic in Atlanta?

Do you hear what I hear?
Santa’s back and all is well.
Hallmark misprinted, SANTLA.
He went to tell them all NO-EL.

About the Writer


Jessica Russo

Jessica lives in Kentucky (United States) where she is a wife, mother, and elementary school teacher. Her work has been featured in anthologies for Wild Ink Publishing and Hey Hey Books. She enjoys Halloween, rainy days, and living in the woods. Her dream is to someday publish a picture book.