Black Tears and Marshmallows

See the House on the Highway?

The Carter kids grew up right there

The railroad yard was located out back

This story is true, I swear!

Clickety clack clickety clack

The ferries would cross the channel
From Sydney to Port-aux-Basques

The workers unloaded the ferries

Putting the railway cars on the tracks

Each car would be filled with a load of goods

That would be taken to far away places

Most of the cars went on their way

And a few would have to stay

The railway cars that stayed behind

Were temporarily stored out back

near the House on the Highway

on an storage railroad track

Clickety clack clickety clack

Catherine, Gerald and some of their friends

Were in the storehouse where they played
Eating sweet marshmallows

Unaware of Gerald's mischevious tirade

Then the CN police came snooping around

They were looking for someone you see

Someone had broken into a railway car

There was missing marshmallow treats!

What would they do? Oh no! Oh no!

This was really really bad

because the manager of the railroad

was Catherine and Gerald's Dad! 

So they did the only thing they knew

They hid inside the coal bin

They were in trouble...you bet they knew

Shaking and quivering their chins

Well of course the police did find them

 With quivering chins and big black tears
Blackened completely from head to toe

There was even coal dust in their ears!

They were all sent home to have a bath

And were put to bed without supper

But that's okay and only because

Their bellies were full of marshmallows!

Petite vs. Brawny

They made it to the finals

Two women, age twenty-three

They walked on the court with confidence

The last game of District "B"

They faced their two opponents

Who barely reached the net

They didn't have the faintest idea

It would be their hardest game yet!

Jayme turned twelve the other day

Her little sister Kelly is only ten and a half

Now don't be fooled because of their size

They are very skilled at their craft

Birdies rallied, scores were tallied

The ladies took the first game

Jayme and Kelly won the second

And then an exciting third game

People gathered around to watch

This game of petite vs. brawny

Then Jayme and Kelly won the match!

And the pipsqueaks smiled broadly

The family gathered all around

Hugs and kisses for the winners

The newspapers wrote their story

And people took their pictures

So whether you are short or tall

Practice what you love to do

Dream your dreams really big

And make those dreams come true

Sherry Irvine - March 16, 2011

Chocolate Cake Dreams

I always wanted a chocolate cake

But my mother refused to make it

She always baked vanilla cakes

Because Daddy didn't like chocolate

We lived in Woodbridge at the time

at the corner of Islington and Seven

Across the highway was the IGA

And my box of chocolate heaven

It was a lovely sunny day

A perfect day for a walk

So I took my baby in the pram

And I walked around the block

I stood at the busy highway

I carefully looked both ways

I waited until there was a break

Then crossed to the IGA

I knew exactly where to find it

My Duncan Hines Chocolate cake

Through the doors, turn this way

To the aisle with all the cakes

I reached out with my little arms

Until my fingers grasped the box

I carefully put it in my baby pram

And then I turned and walked

Out the door, across the highway

Past Scott's Funeral Home

Around the corner, down the sidewalk

Until finally I was home

 "Mommy - can you bake me a cake?"

"Where on earth did you get that?"

 "I got it at the IGA - a cake for you to make!"

"NO....we cannot keep it...we have to take it back!" 

The tears welled up inside my eyes

We took back the chocolate cake

My mother apologized to the grocery man

And told me "you're not supposed to take!"

Ohhhh...I had to pay?

I truly did not know

I was just a little girl

Barely four years old

Sherry Irvine - March 12, 2011

Cake Image:  Etsy:  Dollhouse Scale  2 Tier Chocolate Wedding or Occasion Cake, listing #26750188

Where's my Fork?

Imagine trying to eat your spaghetti

Without a fork or spoon

You’d have to use your fingers

Like a funny ‘ole raccoon!

How would you butter your bread
If you had no knife to spread it?

Dip your finger in the butter

And spread it like you mean it?

This is how it happened

To the poor CN railway crew

When they tried to eat their dinner

With no knives or forks or spoons!

******

After school on Wednesday

Young Gerald went out to play

He came across the sleeper car

Where some of the workers stayed

What was inside this sleeper car?

He really wanted to know

So he went inside and looked around

And saw the eating utensils
All lined up in a row

He thought it would be very funny

To hide them under a bed

So when they ate their dinner

They would use their fingers instead!

*******

Mr. Carter was going home

(He managed the railway crew)

He saw them trying to eat their dinner

With their fingers in their stew!

Mr. Carter thought this was funny

What happened to their utensils?

Then he found out what really happened

Young Gerald Carter!  That little Devil!

Young Gerald had a special spot

In the kitchen “bad-boy” corner

That is where he spent the evening

Until he could sit no longer

So if you lost your fork and knife

And you cannot butter your bread

Maybe Gerald took them

And hid them under YOUR bed!

Row Row Row your Casket??

 

Three crazy Carter brothers

Gerald, Joseph and Dave

Three town trouble makers

Called The Highway Gang

A shipment of coffins

came in on the train

They put a plan together

And it was pretty insane

They snuck out one night
Straight down to the tracks

In one of the railroad cars

Was a shipment of caskets

They knocked off the lock

To reveal the treasure

This was the prank to which

All would be measured

They carried the caskets

To the black river bank

Launched them in the water

What a crazy prank!

"Come on quick!  Get inside!"

Gerald said to his brothers

They paddled the canoe caskets

For a few miles down the river

and the Carter brothers sang.....

"Row row row your Caskets

Gently down Grand Bay!

Merrily merrily merrily merrily

Watch us sail away!"

The Blueberry Patch

Little girl Catherine &

Little boy Gerald
Went with their mother
To the blueberry fields

Old Mrs. Bennett

Came along for the ride

The children didn't like her

So they decided to hide

"There's lots of berries over here!"

The mischievous children did shout

They ran away to play somewhere else

When they heard Mrs. Bennett cry out

"Eeeek!  Eeeek!  Oh my goodness!

I've stepped in an ant's nest over here!"

The ants were crawling up her skirt

Making her jiggly bum wiggle -- oh dear!

Little girl Catherine &
Little boy Gerald 
Giggled in pure delight

Hiding behind blueberry smiles.