A Good Time Was Had by All

                         People of Chilmark; Benton

MAGPIE TALES

http://magpietales.blogspot.com/2011/07/mag-73.html
supplied the illustration

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!

The people of Chilmark were called together

(Because of the beautiful summer weather)

To demonstrate how they passed their time,

In an ideal place in an ideal clime.

'All look joyful!' the artist said.......

But they all look terribly grim, instead!

'Your oar is sticking into my breast!'

Yelled Mavis, who had quite a big chest!

'Let me out!' cried Fred, who was clutching a ball;

'You wont let me do the Australian Crawl!'

Timmy, the little boy in brown

Shouted 'Let me on! I'm going to drown!'

Not one of the crowd could raise a smile;

They kept on scowling all the while;

Writhing, bumping, churning, splashing,

Shouting, snarling, seething, crashing.

'Have fun!' cried the painter, 'Demonstrate

The ideal summer-holiday state!

Simply take off most of your clothes

And wallow about in a carefree pose!

My picture will be so free and active

That Chilmark will appear attractive!

Folk will flock to holiday

In your delightful sandy bay!'

But it will come as no surprise

That it didn't pay to advertise!

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BLUR

A scampering! A skittering! It isn't very hard!
A leaping and a dancing and a pounce!
A dashing back and forth across the confines of the yard
All to catch a ball that's in mid-bounce!
A pirouette! An airborne leap! A swoop from north to south!
A head-over-heels that seems to cause no pain!
And as soon as Banjo has that wayward ball held in his mouth
He'll be begging us to do it all again!
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