Fish Story

Most fish stories end with a big fish that got away,

But in this story,  people run, and fish come home to stay…

 

My dad grew up in a small town, which was called Norway, Maine,

When he was six, the dinner table had a lot of strain.

Each Saturday, my grandmother would make a special dish,

She made from mackerel or pike or other kinds of fish.

 

But my father HATED fish, and often made a face,

And he refused to touch the food his mom put in his place.

My grandmother would say to him, “My son, you’re being rude,”

“Just think about the poor children who don’t have enough food.”

For times were tough, and while my father couldn’t stand the taste,

He did feel guilty about letting good food go to waste.

 

And so it was, one Saturday, that fell in late July,

My dad came up with a great plan that he just had to try.

He crept into the kitchen, when his mother wasn’t looking,

And quickly grabbed the fish and ran before she started cooking.

 

He put the fish inside a box, and wrapped it up in twine,

And brought it to the post office, just after closing time.

He wrote upon the package with a big black marking pen,

“PLEASE SEND THIS BOX TO CHINA AND THE POOR STARVING CHILDREN.”

 

That night, his mother blamed the cat. And my dad didn’t say,

What he had done, and so the package sat all the next day.

By Monday, at the post office, there was an awful smell,

But as to what was causing it, the people couldn’t tell.

 

They had to hold their breath, as they searched around the room,

And tried to find the source of the quite pungent fish perfume.

At last they found the package, and from the return address,

They brought it to my father’s house, where soon he did confess.

And after he’d apologized to the whole postal staff,

The story made the paper, and the whole town had a laugh.

 

And although he’s a grandpa now, my dad still tells this tale,

Of fish that didn’t get away, inside the US Mail.