msh+Billy+Collins'+Higher+Purpose

Billy Collins has two purposes for this poem. One of them is just entertainment. He makes it funny in a very clever way and basically tries to make people laugh. The other purpose is to tell people that you shouldn't try to protect the students innocence. He is saying that children often are not as innocent as they seem and you should not treat them in a different way than adults. He was probably motivated when he remembered what his parents and teachers told him when he was a child and how it did not influence him in a good way. This poem could influence people who are not sure about what to tell children and what not.