Over The Top

 

Ted’s been baking cakes all day.

My word, they’re looking grand.

Some greaseproof paper to peel off,

Allow an hour to stand.

Oops-a-daisy, greaseproof’s slipped

‘Twixt oven and fridge freezer.

He’ll have to spend a mo and go

On hunt for a retriever.

An implement that’s thin will do

To squeeze down through the crack.

His knife’s too short, a stick’s too thick

To get the item back.

Eureka – skewers taped and stuck

Together ought to work.

A shove, a push, so nearly there,

A twist combined with jerk.

Oh dear, they’ve disappeared from view.

He’ll get the magnet.  It

Is on one end of what extends

But it’s too fat to fit.

He pauses now to unscrew tip,

Three turns, well maybe four,

Just then the end with spring flies off

And shoots across the floor.

Generally, Ted is a bear

Who oozes joy not anger.

We’ll give him time to climb the stairs

In search of metal hanger

Or, better still, the chimney brush.

Its rod, ductile and bending,

Can manage what the rest have not

To bring a happy ending.

Not only does a poke and prod

Of chimney rod bring out

Lost paper and two skewers

But also last year’s sprout.

An unexpected outcome,

Footnote to this epistle,

Is that the many cakes Ted’s baked

Are now bedecked with bristle.