A Fish and A Wish

Once when I was walking, I came upon a man
a-setting by the roadside, cooking in a pan.

I said, “Hello, man,
what’s in your pan?”

“A fish and a wish,” said he,
sitting under a shady tree.

I asked, “What kind of fish is that?”
He replied, “A channel cat.”

“What sort of wish?” I begged.
“Why don’t you guess?” he egged.

“Do you wish for a car?”
“No, I don’t live very far.”

“Let’s see…for a lot of cash?”
“No, and don’t be brash.”

“It’s a very simple wish, you see,
I wish for company.”

So we set
And we 'et,
That man under the tree
And me.

--Barbara Malcolm

(I was kind of channeling Dr. Seuss when I wrote this one. Sorry.)