A Monkey Tale

My mom’d just had a baby
And so to give her space,
My nana and my grandpa
Took me to a special place.

We passed a toy store on the way
And quickly we were stopping.
I found a doll I really loved;
I’d nailed this thing called shopping.

My nana loved to buy me things
But mom had made it clear
No matter what, there was to be
No toy or souvenir.

I left the store dejected
But we drove on to the zoo.
It cheered me and improved my mood,
As zoos are wont to do.

I noticed something rather strange –
A monkey with no cage.
At five years old the danger
I was not equipped to gauge.

As I bent down to pet it,
Its reaction was pure fright.
Before I knew what happened,
I’d received a monkey bite!

My nana was hysterical;
I guess I was as well.
The doctor stitched me up
And I kept up my crying spell.

To calm me down, my grandpa asked
How can we stop those tears?
A lightbulb flashed – the doll! I said,
Quite clever for my years.

And so I got a brand-new doll,
Accessories to match.
My grandpa’s guilt was dangling
Like a prize for me to catch.

The lesson that I learned was this:
No matter your intent,
A promise made is etched in sand
More often than cement.