TRADING TREASURES
| A mother and her daughter On a crowded, shopping street The little girl excited By the sounds of bustling feet The atmosphere so thrilling As busy people hurry by But as she passed a pet shop The little girl began to cry A little pup sat in the window With a sad look on his face He looked so bored and lonely Confined in that small space The little girl looked sadly At the puppy in the shop She tried to dry her eyes But her tears just wouldn't stop "That puppy's life is wasted." The young girl softly said "If I could buy that puppy He'd be playing games instead." She rummaged through her tiny purse Small joy could she derive She had very little money For she was only five Her mother was soft hearted She knew the hurt her daughter felt She tried not to glimpse that lonely pup She feared her heart would melt It seemed she heard him pleading As he bravely wagged his tail "Please won't you buy me, lady?" "My future is for sale." With a cry of utter anguish The little girl ran through the door Her tiny heart was breaking She could not take any more She approached the kind faced lady The owner of the shop And she bravely told that lady "I'd like to make a swap." "I want to buy that puppy" The young girl boldly said "But I have very little money So I'll trade you stuff instead." "I've never owned a puppy Since the day I came alive And the years go by so quickly Why, already I've turned five." "I want to have a doggy To call my very own And I'd love to have a puppy Before he's fully grown." "Puppies love to run and play I'm sure you know that's true So to keep him in that window Is the worstest thing to do." "I'll give you fifteen cents in cash I know that's not enough But I'll give you all my treasures I have lots of real good stuff." "If you want to wrap a present I have just the bestest thing A lovely yellow ribbon And a long, long piece of string." "I'll give you cough drops mummy bought me When I had a cold They're made from stuff and honey And they're only one year old!" "I have a pretty silver buckle I'll take it off my shoe It doesn't have a single scratch Those pair of shoes are new" I'll give you my toy music box I dropped it on the floor It's still real beaut to look at But it won't work anymore "I have some pretty plastic beads They're really very nice I've threaded them on cotton But the cotton's broken twice." And I have a jig-saw puzzle I couldn't guess how much it cost It makes a picture of some fairies But some pieces have been lost "I have a gleaming doll's eye You'll find a use for it, I'm sure That eye fell off my doll's face She doesn't use it any more." "And you can have my roller skate You'll find it's lots of fun But you have to skate upon one leg I broke the other one." "I can mix you up some mud cakes But the mud will still be wet Mum won't let me use her fry pan Because she says I'm too young yet." "I'll give you my beaut colouring book It almost looks like new And you'll really love the pictures They're all coloured in for you." "And you can have my tea set I washed it gently as I could Somehow the cups got broken But the saucers are still good." "If you'll let me have that puppy I'll treat him really, really kind I'll be his best friend in the world The bestest one he'll find." "My best friend has a puppy And he's really, really small And playing with that puppy Is the mostest fun of all." "I'll go home and get my treasures I'll go home right away And when I give them to you I'll take my puppy home today." "When you see my treasures You'll be glad you made a trade And then we'll all be happy It's the bestest deal I've made." The mother's eyes grew moist To hear her daughter's pleas unfold "You can't buy that pup" The mother said "That puppy has been sold." "He isn't sold!" her daughter sobbed "You know that isn't true." "Of course he is." The mother smiled "I'm buying him for you." The mother, daughter and a pup Made such a happy scene As they passed the pet shop window Where a lonely pup had been K.D. Abbott © 2008 |
| NOTE:
I do not advocate purchasing dogs from pet shops. Too often these dogs are obtained from 'Puppy Mills' where the health of the animal is not considered. I would prefer that dogs be rescued from animal shelters and given another chance at life, or purchased from private breeders whose main concern is not the mighty dollar. |
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