The following Dr. Seuss-esque poem was created by a member of the RE committee of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Elkhart, Indiana. We unveiled this as one element of our RE Sunday service last year, which was so popular members of the congregation actually volunteered to teach the next year!

There once was a land, south of Kalamazoo
Where a group of odd birds appeared out of the blue.

They called themselves the Yewyews, though no one knows why,
And these Yewyews were found over land, sea, and sky.

Each week, they all came to a Yewyewish caucus
Where, once in a while, things became rather raucous.

They came in a wide range of sizes and shapes.
(Although most of them claimed they descended from apes!)

Yes, they all were quite different. So different, in fact,
That each Yewyew had some skill the other ones lacked.

There were plumbers and doctors and students and teachers,
And writers, musicians, and a few would-be preachers.

There were mothers and fathers and whole Yewyew clans
With the range of relationships every group spans.

Besides this, each Yewyew displayed in succession,
Unique ways of thinking and modes of expression.

In matters of taste, each was one of a kind.
(I’ve been told that some Yewyews wrote poems that rhymed!)

Now these Yewyews had youngsters, just like birds and bees,
Whom they called by the nickname, "The Little Ahrees."

By and by, to the Yewyews this question was brought:
Should the Little Ahrees come to caucus, or not?

Oh, these Little Ahrees were cute. They were smart. They were quick.
But the caucus itself didn’t quite do the trick.

For the Little Ahrees needed more room to grow
And to move, and do artwork, and sing songs they know.

So the Yewyews decided they’d better get busy
And choose who should teach. Now, each Yewyew got dizzy

With thinking up reasons why somebody else
Would be better at teaching than him or herself.

But the best way, they found, for the Ahrees to learn
Was if each of the Yewyews took his or her turn.

Now not every Yewyew could teach class, that’s true.
But each one could contribute a talent or two.

There was work to be done on the buildings and grounds,
Supplies to be gathered, and books to be found.

They could work on curricula. Some could type names,
Bring teachers coffee, or supervise games.

Oh yes, there were many small jobs to be done
And most of them turned out to be rather fun.

But the Yewyews who taught classes learned this, I’m told:
That whatever they gave, they got back -- many fold!

There’s a moral to this story as I’m sure you can guess:
When Michelle* asks for volunteers -- just say yes!

*substitute name of DRE