Be Careful What You Wish For

Arnie the apple hung from a tree
in an orchard a mile wide.
And every day the pickers would come
and haul dozens of apples inside.

They'd pick the prettiest of the bunch,
filling their baskets and pails.
But they always passed by Arnie,
ignoring his whines and wails.

"Please pick me!", Arnie would cry
each time the pickers sauntered by.
"I want to go inside with you!",
cried Arnie till he turned bright blue.

But the pickers ignored him day after day,
while Arnie hung there in dismay,
trying to nurse his shattered pride,
dying to be picked to be taken inside.

Each new dawn he'd do a trick
like spinning around on his twig.
But the picky pickers never stopped
for apples that weren't big

or juicy or red or bright or sweet.
Poor Arnie was none of these things.
He wasn't completely quite full grown
and he had some nicks and dings.

He dreamed what it was like inside;
lights and music all around.
Arnie just wanted to go there so badly
he flung himself to the ground.

The next day the pickers came along
and saw him lying there.
They took him inside and Arnie thought,
"This is it! I'm finally there!"

But when Arnie the Apple looked around
he realized his dreams were false,
'cause in less than 15 minutes
he was Arnie Applesauce.



(C) 1998, Arden Davidson