Party Time
More than a thousand oysters were X-rayed overnight.
There are pearls in twenty-three –
enough to ensure that every little girl
has a chance to be lucky
when she dips her hand
into this tank of Atlantic water. Never fear,
they will not be bitten by the sardines,
which, as you can see, are happily
swimming about, and none the worse
for their long journey. And do look
at this enormous basket of citrus fruits.
The housekeeper has provided the candle,
and the under-gardener the chopper.
The other staff have rallied round
and come up with thimble, slipper, postman
blind man, grandmother, donkey, wolf
(can you hear it howling in the butler’s pantry?).
Look at the clock – it’s a quarter to five
and still the doorbell hasn’t rung.
I’ll just check on the going-home presents.
I want to make quite sure that I got what I ordered
– one big sack for each small guest.
Page(s) 37
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