Post by radar on Dec 21, 2009 12:49:29 GMT -5
This is me trying to be Dr. Seuss:
-------------------
35 Cents and a pat on the head
as we walked out the door
toward the school.
Brutality lay brooding in gutters below,
filled with the obscene
and the cruel.
We hoarded our change
with tightly clenched fists
and swore to defend it till death.
But we turned a sharp corner
and forgot our sweet murder
in the smile of a man with sharp breath.
He wore a tall hat
and a grin ear-to-ear
as he conjured up sights and devices.
We gawked with eyes wide
at his glorious things:
from washboards to Arabian spices!
We wished to stay longer
but time demanded our leave,
so we turned on our heels to depart.
And agreed that his knack
for strange magic and tricks
was more than gimmicky art.
We confessed to each other
when he was out of our sight
how delightful the meeting had been.
But as soon as we spoke
again he appeared
to offer balloons red as sin.
“With these magic balloons”
he said with eyes twinkling
“You’ll shoot straight up to Heaven!”
It was hard to believe
but the proposal enticed us
as children of 10 and 11.
We surrendered our money
and hastily snatched
the red plastic spheres filled with air.
But instead of ascending,
our treasures grew heavy!
and our hearts were filled with despair.
Down through the concrete
our bodies descended
and we cursed the man for his lies.
But we should have known better
since everyone knows
“a man rarely gets what he buys”
-------------------
35 Cents and a pat on the head
as we walked out the door
toward the school.
Brutality lay brooding in gutters below,
filled with the obscene
and the cruel.
We hoarded our change
with tightly clenched fists
and swore to defend it till death.
But we turned a sharp corner
and forgot our sweet murder
in the smile of a man with sharp breath.
He wore a tall hat
and a grin ear-to-ear
as he conjured up sights and devices.
We gawked with eyes wide
at his glorious things:
from washboards to Arabian spices!
We wished to stay longer
but time demanded our leave,
so we turned on our heels to depart.
And agreed that his knack
for strange magic and tricks
was more than gimmicky art.
We confessed to each other
when he was out of our sight
how delightful the meeting had been.
But as soon as we spoke
again he appeared
to offer balloons red as sin.
“With these magic balloons”
he said with eyes twinkling
“You’ll shoot straight up to Heaven!”
It was hard to believe
but the proposal enticed us
as children of 10 and 11.
We surrendered our money
and hastily snatched
the red plastic spheres filled with air.
But instead of ascending,
our treasures grew heavy!
and our hearts were filled with despair.
Down through the concrete
our bodies descended
and we cursed the man for his lies.
But we should have known better
since everyone knows
“a man rarely gets what he buys”
