Out to sea

I was going through some favorite memories that never fail to make me laugh. One of my favorites includes my younger, older sister, Emma Jay. Just typing that nickname brings on a grin.

She and I had a beach day with her kiddos when they were small....and we weren't. Unfortunately, the rafts were also small. And slippery. We took great pains to shipwreck each other repeatedly and laughed so hard we should have drown. As sisters will, we exchanged mock insults and blamed our gene pool for how we looked in our bathing suits. New nicknames were assigned. Emma started it by calling me...with unnecessary volume...Eleanora Elephant. With a fine dunking, I christened her Hennrietta Hippo. Hey, I give as good as I get. I'm the younger sister. And...because I always liked to have the last laugh...I wrote this poem, just for Emma Jay, aka Henrietta.





Henrietta Hippo took
a venture out to sea

upon a raft but large enough
to keep afloat a flea.

Henrietta then did sink,
but by some quirk of luck
came Eleanora Elephant
astride her rubber duck.

Henrietta grabbed ahold
of Eleanora's tail and
by a mild pass of gas
to shore the two did sail.