Ever Had a Tapeworm?

My kids remember my strange bedtime stories, and here's another warped offering from one of my (unpublished) children's books that probably gave them nightmares.  That, or they learned to always wash their fruit before eating it.  A father must defend himself, after all.

This page, taken fresh and squiggling out of One Strange World, is entitled, "Tommy Target's Tapeworm".  (Yes, that low rumbling in your stomach could be a living creature!  This was a thought that tormented my kids and is, to this day, the primary source of their insomnia! But if you look closely at the drawing, you'll see the tapeworm is smiling.  He's happy to be eating licorice whip!)


Tommy Target's Tapeworm

Tommy Target had a tapeworm
That was nearly ten feet long.
It stretched from pancreas and liver
To his duodenum.
No matter what Tommy Target ate
He couldn't get any fatter,
Because the tapeworm ate it first
Before food reached his bladder.