An Unusual Friend

AN UNUSUAL FRIEND I was walking home from school one day, And passed by an empty lot, It was during the month of June, And the day was pretty hot. I looked to my right on the ground, And I saw something unusual that was green, It was a pretty amazing sight to behold, Because it’s something I have never seen. A praying mantis was sitting still, On a couple of blades of grass, I was thinking to myself, “If I only had a jar”, As I was walking home from class. So I put the insect in my bag in one hand, And carried my books in the other, I couldn’t wait to bring it home, To show it to my mother. The first thing my mother said was, “I don’t want it in the house”, She seemed like she was frightened of it, Like she just had seen a mouse. I asked my mom for a jar, And I put in some twigs, leaves and dirt. Then I carefully put the mantis in, Making sure that it wouldn’t get hurt. I punched some holes in the lid, Because I wanted to give him some air, And when I took a good look at him, It appeared that this bug was in prayer. My mom suggested we give it some water, And see what it would do, So to our utter amazement, from the spoon, It took not only one sip, but two. Then we gave him a piece of bologna, And to our pleasant surprise, He started to eat tiny bits, We couldn’t believe our eyes. I grew kind of fond of the little fella, But I just knew it wouldn’t be long, Until my dad came home from work, And would say I can’t keep him, It’s just wrong. He said it’s not right to keep it in captivity, And I should release it into the wild, I couldn’t help thinking that the mantis Would wonder why he’s being exiled. So I opened up the window and Let him out of the mayonnaise jar, He spread his wings and flew away, And I began to wonder how far. I didn’t think I would ever see him again, So obviously this made me upset, And by writing about this 50 years later, Proves it was an experience I’d never forget. But the next day I looked out, The very window which he was released, I thought that maybe he liked the bologna, so much, That he came back for another piece. So I opened up the window, Thinking that he might come in, But I must have scared him off, And that was the last time I ever saw him. My interest in entomology stayed with me, For a few more years to come, But when I look back in time, I’m glad, That I granted my little friend his freedom.