Sweet Sorrow

I have a sweet and sorry tale,

I promise you it’s true.

It happened a few years ago –

Now would I lie to you?

It started with a parcel,

A present from a friend

Who posted Easter munchies,

A kindly thing to send.

She sent rich English toffee,

And luscious marzipan

All dipped in thick dark chocolate,

Packed tightly in a can.

And on the very top we found

All dressed in festive red

The sweetest chocolate duckling

Who bore a note which said:

“I left my country as an egg

But somehow on the way

I got so bored I had to hatch.

Can I come out to play?”

We ate the lovely marzipan,

We chewed the English toffee;

We shared the goodies with our friends,

A treat to serve with coffee.

I couldn’t bear to crack the duck

Though Granddad said we should;

I used to stand and gaze at him,

He looked so sweet and good.

And so he lived inside the fridge

For weeks, for months or years;

The very thought of breaking him

Would bring me close to tears.

But then one day it happened,

His balance being poor

He strayed too close to the shelf’s edge

And shattered on the floor.

Alas! No more our luckless duck!

Well, what else could we do?

With only chocolate fragments left

We ate him, wouldn’t you?

© Elaine Harris