Bad Shot Betty and The
Shooting Gallery

Bad Shot Betty went
to the fair,
hoping to win
a teddy bear.
She laid down her dollar
and promptly took aim
at the ducks in the new
shooting gallery game.

Her first shot
went flying clear up
through the ceiling.
Her second shot
sent the poor barkers
a-reeling.
Her third hit a plane
as it flew overhead.
Her fourth
whacked a bumble bee,
killing it dead.

"Just one shot left",
Betty said to herself
as she gazed at the
teddy bear
up on the shelf.
"Gotta hit me a duck.
Gotta do it today."
Betty lifted her gun
as the crowd
moved away.

Well, she pulled back
that trigger
and the pellet
then flew
to the top
of the booth,
and then
off the sides, too.

It bounced all around
like a wild
jumping bean-
the craziest shot
anyone ever seen!

Then lo and behold,
it bounced off the floor,
then bounced
off the table,
then bounced
a bit more,
till it bounced
one more time
and of all
the dumb luck,
that pellet
bounced right
off a big yellow duck.

"I won it! I won it!",
Betty shouted with glee,
feeling as happy
as happy
could be.

Betty took home
her teddy,
still bursting with pride,
so relieved she had won
before anyone died.


(C) 1998, Arden Davidson