The following is a poem I wrote in 7th grade for a class assignment to "create your own goodbye for Dr. Seuss". Sure, it's a piece of vaguely imitative pre-adolescent hero-worship, but I'm still oddly proud of it. By the way, I'm also glad I didn't have to research the great man's life to go with this, so many thanks to the authors of the previous writeups.
Oh, Dr. Seuss, whose mind went loose
to think of such wonderful things.
Of elephants sitting on mother birds' eggs,
and turtles who thought they were kings.
The writer of stories so crazy and fun,
yet he put a lesson in every one.
And he never did fail to tell a tale
exactly as he wanted it.
Stories strange as could be, they made sense to me.
And that's how I'll always remember it.
He meant what he said,
and he wrote what he meant,
Holding firm to his thoughts one hundred percent.
Or was it more?
I'm not quite sure.
For he taught us them too,
So now, me and you,
Now know what he knew.
The stories he told
were for both young and old
To learn from together, wherever.
On a plane, on a train, here or there or anywhere.
He did his work well,
Though sadly to tell,
He had to leave us,
But do not fuss.
Though he is here no more,
Where he is, he is sure
That he did much good.
He really should—goodbye Dr. Seuss.
—2 October 1991.