LALLA PALUZA

Ann Essance, copyright

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Lalla Paluza lived in Watuza, a town of 10,000 or more

She played by the lakeshore and ran to the "little store"

The only one, Watuza was famous for.

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Lalla Paluza wanted candy, called "Strawberry Sandies"

(Small 'cotton-candies') that Mr. Fitch,

The store's owner, was ready to pour. 

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"More, more, more" she jumped and cried

As Mr. Fitch sighed, rolling his eyes

And curling his fists, just below his wrists:

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"I'm sorry Little Ms.Paluza, but my petal pink candies

Those Strawberry-Sandies," won't be ready 'til four

As he shook his shiny bald head, his face turned beet-red

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"It's time for juicy pink strawberries, instead!

That luscious fruit that won't fog up your pretty little head

Or rot your teeth, if eaten, before you go to bed

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 If you hide pink candy, 'neath your pillow, to eat when 'light's out'

Your teeth might fall out, and if you pout,

Your belly will bloat, bigger than stout!

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 "All of this raving over your craving...

Stop your fiery temper tantrum, my friend!

As quick as a lick, you'll make yourself sick

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 And I'm not just a 'teasin'...you're already wheezing"

Lalla Paluza's tantrum had become her mantrum,

 (just not the silent type)

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  Only some big distraction, would over-power her reaction,

So he set out to distract her from her lack of pink confections, so fair

When out of his mouth came the right words to shift her attention there

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  "Did you know that you hide, deep down inside

That little heart of yours, a bright, shiny swirl

(shssh: not cotton-candy) but a glimmering, shimmering pearl?"

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  Then, in a moment, Lalla Paluza stopped crying

As she looked down at her chest to see

Where in the world that pink pearl could be

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  But when she saw nothing, she began whining again

Mr. Fitch's face and bald head, again, turned beet-red

As Lalla Paluza repeated her tantrum, instead

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  Then, coming into the store, from the shore on the lake,

Entered, Beuella Blake, who lived in the petal-pink house

With her family of four and "Cheezy," a tiny brown mouse

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  In Beuella's left hand she held two broken strands

Of what remained of her lovely pink pearls.

She tried not to drop them, in order to stop them

From falling all over the floor.

​

  Already, some had flown onto her hat, some into her hair

But she decided to leave them, rather than retrieve them,

So for now, they remained there.

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  "Mr. Fitch," Beuella said: (his face, a lighter shade of red)

"Two strands of my petal-pink pearls have just broken

And won't be worth the tiniest token, if they fall into the sand

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    Where can I bring them, to have someone re-string them...

Mr. Fitch's face, still red, suddenly turned creamy-pale,

When he remembered the bent nail and the canister pail

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   "Mrs.Beuella, Lalla Paluza's mother, Estella, can!

She re-strung my wife's precious pearls, when she and my girls

Slipped on some sand walking down the stairway last May

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   "The pearls got caught on a nail on the banister rail

Then flew into the canister we use for our mail, just below."

Beuella listened intently, clutching her broken strands

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   Then, one of the pearls slipped from her hand...

Then another, hiding in her curls, fell to the floor and out the door

Lalla Paluza scrambled and found them, plus two more 

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   Then another and another, fell from her hat.

Next, a first from her purse...and to make matters worse,

Another, then another, and another...

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   By the time all thirty-six were found and counted

Lalla Paluza was proud and astounded.

All she had done was to look for just one...

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  The one hiding, deep inside the Heart of her chest.

Now she had not only that big Invisible One,

Now, she had all of the rest. 

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   But now, should she keep them? Or should she return them?

What do you think she should do? It's all up to you...

(But here is a tiny hint: the "right thing" is meant.)  

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   So, without any doing, Mr. Fitch's answer 'walked in'

On the feet of Beuella Blake, and that needed distraction

Was the positive attraction, he had been hoping for.

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   When, Lalla Paluza's attention shifted from ranting and raving

To helping, silencing the yelping coming from out of her mouth,

Inside of her head, it entered her innocent Heart, instead.

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  Lalla Paluza returned all of the pearls, she did not take

She chose the right thing, which gave Beuella renewed zing

And to her mother, Estella, a needed job, this would bring.  

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   Then the old brass clock by the door, chimed"quarter to four"

About time to make pink cotton candy

Fifteen minutes later, those same chimes rang, once again  

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 "Time to spin that pink cotton syrup, again!"

So from beginning to end they watched Mr. Fitch spin

His famous recipe for warm cotton candy into Strawberry Sandies

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   Lalla Paluza's reward came not just from pink cotton candy 

But stressful Life Lessons, that were not easy, but hard...

Yet, a real blessing in disguise for her Life's big "play-yard"

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   And in the end, Mrs.Blake's children, along with Cheezy,

Became her new best friends, and as for Mr. Fitch, her wise old friend

Who was not just Watuza's famous small Storekeeper,

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   But Lalla Paluza's Great "Life" Teacher

As well as, Great Confectioner, Extraordinaire!

Now Lalla Paluza has a story she is proud to tell

Plus a very interesting story, as well. You go girl!

   

Dedicated to JoAnn..."You go girl!" 

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What do you think Lalla Paluza did with the pearls?

What would you choose to do? Why?

How do you feel when you lose something you love?

How do you feel when someone finds it and gives it back to you?

What can you do when you are feeling "blue" because what you

lost did not come back to you? Blog your answer to me...