One Too Many...

I think I'm at the point where I really need new glasses.
I find that all the kids look the same in all the classes.
The school year's almost over, only one more trip.
I'll just be double careful not to make a slip.

I count from one to thirty as they get on the bus.
We're heading on a field trip and I don't want a fuss
so I number each and every little smiling face
then I will know immediately if there's an empty space.

We gather in the parking lot and head in single file,
This keeps them all together but only for a while.
We hit the doors and off they go, little ones gone wild.
And so I spend an hour rounding up each child!

I gather them in one place and now comes all the fun.
I count each smiling face... Hmmm. I now have thirty-one.
The kids are up to something, they keep on wiggling
and every time I recount I can hear them giggling.

I try a different tack.  I actually look them in the face
hoping that I'll spot the one who looks out of place.
A few seem unfamiliar but then I'm not astute;
the most familiar one is the small kid in the suit.

It's noon and time for lunch, according to our planner.
They're just like animals – except the small kid with the manners.
And so the day proceeds and I keep checking in
with the lost and found to see if any kids are missin'.

The day is finally over, so we march back to our ride.
Once again, I count the kids but still I can't decide
how many did we start with?  Was it thirty-one?
Too many's not a problem but too few and I'd be done!

The parents take their kids. Once more I've cheated death.
But one child still is waiting, the one with fishy breath,
so I sit with him, up wind a bit, since he smells like bait
and talk to him to ease his fears as we wait... and wait... and wait...