When I was a kid, I often imagined what it would be like to have superpowers. But the powers I dreamed about weren’t the usual ones you see in comic books. I didn’t spend much time imagining myself flying through the air or lifting cars over my head. Instead, I wondered what it would be like if I could stop time, or magically change things around me.
For example, what if you could make something disappear just by wishing it away? What if you could erase mistakes, not just on paper, but in real life? That was the idea that eventually led me to write this poem.
One day I started thinking about those pink school erasers that everyone used when I was growing up. They were great for fixing pencil mistakes, but they also left those little curly crumbs all over your desk. And that got me wondering: what if someone invented a super eraser; one that could erase anything at all?
Of course, if a kid had something like that, they probably wouldn’t start by erasing very important things. They’d begin with the stuff kids usually wish they could get rid of: vegetables they don’t like, homework, rainy days, maybe even Monday mornings.
But if you had a magical eraser that powerful, it might be easy to get carried away… and erase a little more than you meant to.
I hope you enjoy it. This is…
Super Eraser
I bought a new “Super Eraser” today.
They said it would make all mistakes go away.
It seemed quite unlikely and, honestly, weird,
but—swipe!—and my Brussels sprouts just disappeared.
I blasted my math with another small swipe.
My bedtime went poof! when I gave it a wipe.
This thing was amazing! I grinned ear-to-ear,
then looked for more things I could make disappear.
I zapped Monday mornings. Trombone lessons too.
I rubbed on the rain and away it all flew.
I made homework vanish. It melted away.
I wiped away chores and left nothing but play.
This Super Eraser was perfect for me,
and something I figured my family should see.
I ran to the backyard to put on a show.
That’s strange. They were just here a minute ago.
— Kenn Nesbitt
