This is a story about a boy
Who wanted everything he saw.
It didn’t matter what he got,
He wanted more and more.
But everything costs a hard earned dime,
And if you want so much, you must work hard all the time!
And if you work all the time, you don’t get to play,
And No-One wants to live that way.
But I’ll stop right here, I’m getting carried away.
My story begins one fine summer’s day...
My name is Jack and my best friend is Jenny.
We walked down the street and I spotted a penny.
I picked it up and Jenny laughed and asked if I’m broke.
She even offered to buy me a coke.
I politely declined and we continued our stroll,
Window-shopping… Oh boy, I wanted it all!
The red bike and the shoes, a blueberry pie,
And so many toys that I wanted to cry!
What could I do?
There was so much to buy!
Then I had an idea so brilliantly clever,
I was truly convinced it was the best idea ever!
I would plant my new penny, and it will grow into a tree!
With leaves made of money, just for me!
I told Jenny my plan and she said it’s absurd,
“Money can’t grow on trees, haven’t you heard?
You have to work hard, need good brains and ambition,
Only then can you make your very first million.”
But I never listened, because I knew it would work!
I laughed and I sniggered and I said with a smirk,
“Jenny, have faith! Just wait and you’ll see,
Soon I will grow the world’s first money tree!”
Hey you! Reading this story, oh I know what you’re thinking…!
“This boy has gone bonkers! His brain has been fried!
He’s loony! Bananas! He’s squiggly eyed!”
But please, don’t jump to conclusions,
Assumption is the mother of a boy named “Confusion”.
(If you don’t know what that means, and you think I’ve gone mad,
please go and ask your mom or your dad.)
We finished our stroll and parted our ways,
I ran holding my wealth and my eyes were ablaze.
I fell flat on my face as I tripped in a ditch.
But that didn’t matter, I was going to be rich!
Money lasts forever,
and my face can be stitched!
I crawled through my garden, got down on my knees,
Explored every pot plant; the flowers and trees.
I squeezed the soil and I poked; sprayed the land with a hose;
The rich smells of summer excited my nose.
With care and attention I examined the earth…
I needed the sweetest of soils for my penny’s birth!
Hours I searched!
A back breaking job
My limbs weak like jello,
My head starting to throb.
And when the day turned to night, with the sun slowly sinking,
And the first star came out, floating and twinkling,
I sat under an oak tree, resting and thinking…
Suddenly, Mom’s voice pierced the air and shook me right off my feet,
“Jack dear, dinner is ready, please come and eat.”
OH NO!
My sloppy appearance would make anyone curious…
If mom saw me like this she would surely be furious!!!
Chin clotted with blood, shirt covered in mud!
Dirt under my nails, hair crawling with snails,
Oozing sludge from my toes, a fly on my nose,
A flower in my ear, mulberry stains on my rear,
Manure on my cheek, and worst of all…
My Dirty, Earthy, Filthy, Grimy, FEET!!!
With not a second to spare, I dashed to my window,
Where the soil at my feet felt soft like a pillow,
And as I got ready to leap in the heat of the action,
My brain said “hang on, hang on, slow down a fraction…
The ground feels so squishy and fuzzy and airy,
The worms underneath must be working a frenzy!”
I was filled with excitement. It was the perfect location!
Tomorrow at dawn I would plant my creation.
I sprung through the window and shot through the house,
Fast as a bullet, quiet as a mouse.
I soaped and shampooed in the quickest of time,
I scrubbed and I scraped all the dirt and the grime.
Washed my hair, flossed my toes, brushed my feet and each finger,
All the while mom was screaming, “Jack come for dinner!”
And you wouldn’t believe it…
I dried and I swept, changed my clothes in a flash,
Made it for dinner in no time,
We had chicken and mash.
That night I was restless, excitement pumped through my veins.
I had the penny under my pillow and the tree on my brain.
And when my eyes finally shut and I sank deep into sleep,
My dreams flowered to life as I sailed on a leaf…
Through wild chocolate streams, pancakes swimming in honey,
Hills of strawberry ice cream AND TRUCK LOADS OF MONEY!
Toys of all shapes, colors and sizes,
Swinging from trees, putting out marshmallow fires!
Remote controlled planes, tap dancing monkeys,
The world’s fastest train AND TRUCK LOADS OF MONEY!
At the crack of dawn I arose, the sun’s warm rays on my face,
I jumped to my feet with excitement and pace.
I swung open the curtains, flung open the window,
And took the penny from under my pillow.
I admired its potential as it lay in my palm.
I examined its beauty, its shine and its charm.
Whispered sweet nothings into its imaginary ear,
“My beautiful penny, our future is near.”
I climbed out the window with a glaze in my eye,
And took a deep breath of the delicate sky.
The sweet summer morning breezed with song-bird delight,
Dew drops basked on mom’s roses, reflecting the light.
And on this perfect day, on the earth outside my windowpane,
(about 4 feet to the left so it won’t block my way,)
I poked a whole in the ground for my magical penny to lay...
And so it was, that I waited and waited…
1 day…
3 days…
A week!
I was getting frustrated.
But dad always said I should never lose hope,
“You won’t achieve anything if you just sit and mope.”
So I called my friend Jenny to cheer up my frown.
We went out for ice cream and a stroll about town.
She said “Jack don’t be sad, this isn’t the end,
Whether you are rich or you’re not, I will still be your friend.”
But I never gave up. I watered it daily and did everything right,
And then, on the 10th day, I was filled with delight!!
I couldn’t believe it!
There was a tiny green sprout with a one dollar leaf!
I smiled as wide as the moon, oh’ what a relief!
I jumped to my feet and ran to phone Jenny.
“You will never believe it, my magical penny!
You must come and see it! It’s growing and growing, like a flower in spring!
Soon I will be richer than a powerful king!”
Within 20 minutes, Jenny arrived.
I showed her the sprout and she was shocked and surprised.
She inspected it closely, not believing her eyes.
“This is truly amazing, how could this be?
A one dollar note can’t grow on a tree!”
The next morning the tree was up to my throat,
And had almost 100 one dollar notes!
My eyes nearly popped right out of their sockets,
There was enough money here to fill all of my pockets!
I thought I was dreaming!
This was too good to be true!
I just stood and I stared
As the tree grew and greW!
Then all of a sudden, with no thought at all,
I snatched 2 jam-packed handfuls and ran straight to the mall!
Like a zombie gone crazy by his hunger for toys,
I spent every last penny on life’s greatest joys!
And when I ran out of money in my favorite store,
I rode home on my new bike and collected some more!
As my tree grew and grew and the dollars kept coming,
I had less time for Jenny because I never stopped buying!
Go-carts and candy, binoculars, cars;
Hot dogs, goRillas, an electric-guitar;
TV games, trains, and a puppy named Popo,
A kite and a swing, and a hat and a yo-yo.
I became rich and famous, selfish and fat.
A greedy, disgusting, rude little brat!
But every kid in the world still wanted to play!
From China and France and the U.S.
And when I ran out of space for all my possessions,
I converted the house into a 6 story mansion!
But the most important thing I still need to mention…
To my only true friend, I gave no attention… L
Every time Jenny asked me to come have some fun,
I made every excuse under the sun!
I would say, “Sorry Jen, I have no time today,
the president’s son is coming to play.”
When she rang the bell to my house, and I completely ignored her,
She cried and she cried, because our friendship was over.
Then, one gloomy day, when I needed some cash,
I went to my tree to collect a fat stash.
And to my absolute horror, the tree was totally bare!
Its naked brown branches hung limp in the air.
I knew there and then what I had done.
I couldn’t believe what I had become.
I had bought so many things at such an incredible speed,
My magical tree couldn’t cope with my greed!
Like a sad, sorry ship, my heart slowly sunk.
I had no friends and no money, just a house full of junk.
And as I sat and I wept, and thoughts filled up my mind,
I knew my friendship with Jenny was one of a kind.
So I ran and I phoned my very best friend,
And I told her the lessons which I had learnt.
I said, “Jenny my friend, I am so very sorry!
I neglected our friendship for riches and glory.
Please let me tell you the moral I learnt from this story…
Money comes, money goes,
But good friends aren’t for sale!
True friendship is priceless
And will always prevail!
Money won’t buy you happiness!
Nor will toys, cars and fashion.
The secret to life is ambition and passion!
Treat the world with respect, don’t take more than you need.
If you want to be happy, do a good deed.
You will soar free like an eagle, high from above,
If you love what you do and you do what you love.”
The end.
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