Animal Crackers

I have always hated Tom Cruise. Katie Holmes, on the other hand, had dreamt of marrying him since he appeared in "Risky Business," a movie first released when she was four. I'm reminded of the story "Monkey Paw" and its moral--the age-old adage, "Be careful what you wish for." Hell, at four-years-old, I wanted to either work at McDonald's or open my own supermarket. Anyhow, whether her engagement is a dream come true or a strategically-planned publicity stunt, Katie has ended up with a furrow-browed monkey who rabidly poops his diapers every time he's interviewed...

I don't remember exactly how old Camille P. is, but she is much too talented for her age. Her poem* below always cheers me up.

"The Camel walking blues"

     Going to Constantinople on a
One way trip, I'm walking and walking
Getting hit with a whip. Ouch!
     Carrying incense, jewelry, Silk
And cloth. Boy I hope that they don't
Find any moths. ewww!
     All this stuff is weighing me
Down I hope that I don't sink through
The ground.
     Boy I hate the people that
Are giving me smacks, why can't I be
The one giving them whacks. So long
For now I'm getting quiet tired to bad
That I can't, get fired.

*Spelling, punctuation, and capitalizations preserved.