“He says no with his head
but he says yes with his heart
he says yes to what he loves
he says no to the teacher …” 

(Jacques Prévert, The Dunce)

~

one times ten is
five fields of flowers

two times nine is
seven blue skies

three times eight is
one thousand and one Nights

four times seven is
forty rainbows

five times six is
one ocean more

six times five is
two trees under the full Moon

seven times four is
thousands of honeybees

eight times three is
sixty rhymes with glee

and nine times two is
one hundred ways to stay

a child bad at maths
but good at poetry

© Frédéric Georges Martin

~

illustration: The Dunce
(Harold Copping, 1886)