<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 36px; font-size: 30px; font-family: Palatino, serif; color: rgb(33, 76, 20);">April Fool’s Day (a poem)</span></div><div>As written and presented by Will E. Cowles on April Fools Day 1900</div><div><br><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Talk about yer Chris'masses<br>Fourth o' Julys and cirkusses—<br>They ain't in it for the real fun<br>That's to be had on April one;<br>Even Hallowe'en is very tame<br>To April first—that is 'f yer game.<br><br>I think that April first must be<br>Ind'pendence Day fer kids like me,<br>When we kin play all sorts of jokes<br>And not be punished by our folks—<br>Though pa, he says, in a threat'nin' way:<br>"Bill, no nonsense from you today!"<br><br>When Jim's pants legs are found sewed up;<br>When ma of coffee takes a sup<br>And finds the sugar tastes like salt—<br>I say, quite inn'cent, "Taint my fault."<br>They frown and say, half-scold, half-laugh,<br>"This here is some of Willie's chaff."<br><br>The teacher has her troubles too<br>(You know what mischeevous boys can do).<br>But when I hollered "April Fool!"<br>She kept me in long after school.<br>I didn't care much for I knew<br>She wasn't game—like me or you.<br><br>Say, you look as though you might<br>Know how a boy 'd feel at night,<br>As though a big day's work was done,<br>And how h'd fooled 'em all—'cept one—<br>For pa, he'd said to me, one side,<br>"Don't ye fool me, 'r I'll tan yer hide!"</span></div><div><br></div><div>-------------------------------------<br><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Sir Winston Churchill </span></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>