Mister Smith's Odyssey

"Hello there, forlorn old clock upon the antique store shelf! I can't bear to leave you there reminiscing by yourself. You'd sure look fine reposing upon the mantel in my house! Let me fetch some bail to redeem you from my spouse!" Now I usually don't converse with an inanimate object, But I thought 'twould be interesting with the clock to reflect, Upon his ancient genesis and from whence he came. I'll call him Mister Smith since that was the maker's name. "I see you were born in England", then, I let him take it from there. "I think I was born in Piddlehinton but I cannot really swear. I 'ave a pedigree you know! I graced the palace of a king, Where I rang me chimes, kept the time and dutifully did me thing!" "I fell from grace and to the colonies me way I did wend, And fell in with a kind soul I thought I could befriend. But me melodious Westminster chimes 'e couldn't abide. 'E said I kept 'is kids and dog awake, so 'e cast me aside!" "So that's 'ow I ended up on this bleak shelf, you see. 'Til you came along" he sobbed, "no one wanted me!" I could see he was all 'wound up' and so to ease his tension, I bought him, oiled his wheels and adjusted his hanging suspension! Robert L. Hinshaw, CMSgt, USAF, Retired © All Rights Reserved