When The House Is Dark and Quiet - Barry Louis Polisar

Late at night when Mommy and Daddy have gone out

Me and my brother get to scream and jump and shout

'Cause the house is dark and quiet and we’re left all alone

With another teen-age baby-sitter talking on the phone

We tip-toe on our tip-toes and we listen to her laugh

While the water is running, so she thinks we’re in the bath

She tells her friend she’s hungry, so we know just how to tease her;

We go and get the kitty cat and hide it in the freezer

Cindy opens up the door, you should have seen her leap

Then we tell her, «That's the place where the kitty always sleeps.»

She starts yelling and sends us both to bed

But Tim and me don’t listen to a single thing she’s said

Convinced that Tim and I are finally lying sound asleep

She settles on the sofa and turns on the TV

So Tim sneaks to the basement to disconnect the fuse

While I’m up in the attic, thumping in my father’s shoes

While Cindy checks the TV set, examining the plug

I crawl across the living room, underneath the rug

We stand up on the sofa with carrots up our noses

Pretending we are monsters--not wearing any clothes-es

Cindy says she won’t come back, just like Mike and Sue

Melody and Barbara, John and Linda, too

Mom and Dad can’t leave us now, although they feel they must

But we can’t understand why no one wants to stay with us