I'm not trying to sound negative, or maybe I am...

If I want to take away from a number that is negative.

If your taking negative away, then the opposite is positive!

So two take away negative four (2) - (-4) is the same as two plus four!

For the two minuses transform,

And make a plus!

Now what to do if you,
Want to take six from negative four? (6) - (-4)
If there is two minuses in a row
You transform them as you know,
And make a plus!

Six plus four is ten!
But what to do if then
You want to take away from ten
a number like eleven? 10 - 11

But eleven is more than ten.
So how is that supposed to work?
Well let's think number line again.
Do not worry do not shirk,

For all you have to do
Is go down down down a few
A little more than you're used to.
Till the negatives you get to.

The answer is negative one, 10-11= -1
And now lets have some fun.
You know how we said before,
Two minuses you can transform?

Well what if you start at negative three,
And you want to take away negative eight? (-3)-(-8)
Well there's two minuses now. You see?
And now lets get our sums strait.

The two minuses together become a plus
And that makes it a little easier for us.
For now its negative three plus eight. (-3) +8
And it opens up a whole new gate!

For now all that we
Need to do to add to
Our number negative three
Is to,
Take out your number line again,
And use a little bit of brain,

Start at the negative three,
And go right, you see.
For now it needs be,
That we go up
Since were adding.

Up up eight to find the answer alive
For now we are at the number five!

But if we have a negative four (-4)
And we want to take a little bit more?
And take away positive nine,
From our negative four sublime?(-4) -9=?
We'll just go down the number line,
since your taking away the number nine.

Start at  number negative four
Go down down down down nine more,
And you are at number negative thirteen!
For taking away a positive from a negative
Is just the same as counting them both as a negative,
And adding them together, but  your answer is negative.

And it is the same if you want to add a negative to a negative,
If you have a negative and you want to add a negative to it,
It is the same as taking a plus sign from it.

So for example if I have a negative seven (-7)
And I want to add a negative eleven, (-11)

You can change the negative 11 to a positive, and then,
Take the plus sign away,
And go down the number line once again.
You're on negative seven,
Go down eleven,
And your on negative 18!
(Or you could just add the two negatives and
Get the answer, but it's negative again)

And I'm not trying to sound negative
Or maybe I am...
But I want you to be positive
And know that you can
Add and subtract with negative numbers!
And now my brain is fried,
So I think I'll take a slumber.
And say to you good bye
And try to try to remember
All the things that I
Learned about negative numbers.

-Snickerdoodle