Onwards and Oops Words
I forgot to water my sunflower,
and now it sadly drOOPS.
I piled high my ice cream cone,
down tumbled all the scOOPS.
I tied my laces extra tight
then stumbled on my lOOPS.
I failed to bring a doggie bag
to pick up puppy’s pOOPS.
When I keep oops-ing daily—oof !—
it’s easy to lose hope.
But then I ups-a-daisy—whoop !—
cuz I won’t give up, nope!
I trip through hoops, I slip on goop,
I oops and onward more.
The upside to my oops-ing is
I swoop until I soar.
and now it sadly drOOPS.
I piled high my ice cream cone,
down tumbled all the scOOPS.
I tied my laces extra tight
then stumbled on my lOOPS.
I failed to bring a doggie bag
to pick up puppy’s pOOPS.
When I keep oops-ing daily—oof !—
it’s easy to lose hope.
But then I ups-a-daisy—whoop !—
cuz I won’t give up, nope!
I trip through hoops, I slip on goop,
I oops and onward more.
The upside to my oops-ing is
I swoop until I soar.
This poem is copyright (©) Stefan Karlsson 2026
About the Writer
Stefan Karlsson
Stefan is a poet and artist based in Portland, Oregon. He received his MFA in Poetry from the University of California-Irvine. His poems (for children) have appeared in The Dirigible Balloon, Paddler Press, Little Thoughts Press, and Tyger Tyger Magazine. His paper marbling artwork can be found on Instagram @nautiluspaper, and his poetry for kids can be found on Twitter @stefkidlit and on YouTube @StefanKidsPoetry.
