"If I Were in Charge of the World"
Re-Tellings of the Original Poem
by Judith Viorst


Written by Mrs. Dingman's 5th Grade
September 2008
After listening to the poem, "If I Were in Charge of the World" by Judith Viorst, we created our own versions. We made decisions about things we'd cancel and keep, with wonderful insight, thoughtfulness, and creativity. 
We again made wonderful use of our new laptops as we prepared our poetry using Microsoft Word. We continue to practice the writing process, beginning with a Rough Draft, continuing with revising and editing, and polishing our final copies. 
Enjoy our poetry!
This project aligned with the following Pennsylvania Academic Standards:
1.1.5 Learning to Read Independently
1.4.5 Types of Writing
1.5.5 Quality of Writing
3.7.5 Technological Devices

TrevorSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel rules
timeouts
and 5-dollar foot longs for 2-dollar foot longs

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be paperclip guys
flying monkeys
And a machine that you could learn everything in the world in 5 seconds

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have the same first or middle name of someone else
You wouldn't have homework
You wouldn't have McDonalds
Or video games
You wouldn't even have underwear

If I were in charge of the world
A person could ride a UFO
All pandas would weigh 5,000 pounds
And a person who sometimes forgot to put the seat down
And sometimes forgot to take a shower
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world
FrankSeptember 24, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel school for the winter
mashed potatoes
And homework

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be flying buses instead of on the ground
cake for lunch at school
And roller coasters instead of cars which would be really loud

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have 5-dollar pokemon cards
You wouldn't have a bill
You wouldn't have deadly germs that make you ill
Or 500 question tests
You wouldn't even have over 4-dollar a gallon gas

If I were in charge of the world
A person would invent a bike that goes 49,874 miles per hour
All worksheets would be locked in a high tower
And a person who sometimes forgot to go to bed
And sometimes forgot to write 4 for 2 plus 2 and wrote 4891086565745 instead
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world
DavidSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel the bad forces of homework
Dreaded school
And basketball

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be countries made of pizza
No football
And sweet Sunday night soccer

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have burnt toast as breakfast
You wouldn't have broccoli
You wouldn't have evil chocolate
Or tacos
You wouldn't even have to get up early for school

If I were in charge of the world
A banana would be worshipped
All dynamite would have beds
And a person who sometimes forgot to come inside for dinner
And sometimes forgot to go to bed
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

MariannySeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel homework
parents who say "no sweets after dinner"
And school... it will only be 5 minutes

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be raining popcorn
People going to school in pajamas
And no chores

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have to eat veggies
You wouldn't have to be in a fight to take a shower first
You wouldn't have to eat gross school lunches
Or try to get the computer before brothers or sisters
You wouldn't even have to wake up your little brother for school

If I were in charge of the world
A big laffy taffy would fly out of mid-air
All people would go to Chuckee Cheese
And a person who sometimes forgot to wash the dishes
And sometimes forgot to feed the dog
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

JonathanSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel evil little sisters, banging on your door
Bad TV shows on your favorite channels
And mean big brothers playing loud music

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be giant free pizzas everywhere
Lots of books
And huge trout to eat for breakfast

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have stinky homework by the truckload
You wouldn't have to go to school
Or eat old spinach that has been in the fridge forever
You wouldn't even have smelly cheese to eat and gag up

If I were in charge of the world
A black dog would be free
All people would be treated the same
And a person who sometimes forgot to comb their hair
And sometimes forgot to clean their room
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

AlisaSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel celery
Boring TV shows
And hunting

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be flying monkeys
More time to sleep
And more yummy sushi

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have to do chores
You wouldn't have smelly socks
You wouldn't have to wake up early to go to school
You wouldn't even have school five times a week

If I were in charge of the world
An ice cream cheesecake would be a vegetable
All days will be warm but there still will be snow
And a person who sometimes forgot to smile
And sometimes forgot to do their homework
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

BillySeptember 24, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel school forever
Writing so your hand won't hurt
And teaching so we won't be bored

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be ice cream for dinner
TV in every room
And Xbox 360 in every TV set

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have vegetables
You wouldn't have libraries
You wouldn't have homework
Or bedtimes
You wouldn't even have parent's opinions

If I were in charge of the world
A book would be a pass to California
All paper would be money
And a person who sometimes forgot to do their homework
And sometimes forgot to say their speech
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world
JessicaSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel Key Lime pie
Messiness
And spiders

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be a piece of candy for every answer you got right in school
Cookie castles
And warm Milk Rivers

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have to eat Brussels sprouts
You wouldn't have homework
You wouldn't have class work because you'd be reading
Or cleaning because we would have robots to do it
You wouldn't even have to eat vitamins

If I were in charge of the world
An uncomforting word would never be said
All people could sleep in their bed
And a person who sometimes forgot to feed the cat
And sometimes conveniently forgot to walk the dog
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

KassandraSeptember 23, 2008

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel broccoli
Carrots... I'd rather have pizza
And hunting

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be oranges
Vegetables
And books

If I were in charge of the world
You wouldn't have ice cream
You wouldn't have doorbells
You wouldn't have fast food
Or ticks
You wouldn't even have video games

If I were in charge of the world
A dog that would run away wouldn't run away
All cats wouldn't meow
And a person who sometimes forgot to change
And sometimes forgot to wash
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world

This page was last updated: October 14, 2022