He follows me outside when I want to be alone,
He sits behind me burping when I am on the phone.
This morning when I woke up, he was jumping on my bed,
Laughing at his hamster (who was bouncing on my head).

I came downstairs for breakfast, and he waited by my chair.
As soon as I was sitting down, he poured milk in my hair.
“Mom!” I cried, “Come quick!” But my brother ran away.
Mom took one look at me and said, “You’re quite a mess today!”

I went upstairs to change my clothes and gave a great loud yell
He’d left his sneakers on my bed, and oh boy did they smell!
I opened up my window, and I threw the shoes quite far,
As luck would have it, one hit Dad; the other hit our car.

I heard my brother laughing, and my father sighed and said,
“Whatever are you thinking, throwing sneakers at my head?”
I tried to tell my father it was Andrew who was bad
But my father simply walked away, looking very mad.

However could I stop him? Oh, I wished there was a way...
If anyone could tell me how, happily I’d pay.
Suddenly I had a thought; I knew just what to do.
I counted up my pennies: one hundred ninety-two.

I went into my brother’s room and sat down on the bed.
I looked my brother in the eye, and this is what I said:
“Here’s some pennies and here’s a jar. Why don’t we play a game?
Each time I’m nice I’ll put one in, and you can do the same.

“But anytime we misbehave, we’ll take a penny out.
I’m guessing we’ll have seventeen before the week is out.”
“I think we can get twenty-two,” my brother answered back.
“If you would you like a cookie, I can get us both a snack!”

I put a penny in the jar, and laughed, and said, “Good start!
“I think you just may win this game, you’re really very smart!”
“Why thank you,” he said sweetly, and I couldn’t help but smile.
I had finally tricked my brother… for at least a little while!

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