Sheila Charles TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR HOLIDAY
Be careful what you ask for –
We’ve all heard that saying, I bet.
I learned that Jesson myself
Today, when I spoke to Annette.
She had recently travelled to England
For three weeks – well, slightly less.
So when she came round to visit
She wanted to share her experiences. Yes.
As soon as we’d exchanged pleasantries,
I said to her, as you do,
Tell me ALL about your holiday.
What follows is actually true –
She started at the time the plane landed
And continued-day in and day out,
Naming every place she had visited.
It was interesting without a doubt.
But what I hadn’t bargained for
Was the detail of times and places,
Names of pubs she had eaten at
And even the wind goose chases!
She didn’t need notes or photos.
She simply remembered where she’d been,
Where she’d dined, who she’D spoken to
And which old friends she’d seen.
She had even gone to Buckingham Palace
Hoping to see the Queen!
Luckily I was enthralled
As it brought back memories for me
But I was relieved that she hadn’t gone for a month
You would probably have to agree!
So, the next time I ask anyone
to tell me about their trip abroad,
I won’t say, “Tell me ALL about it,”
At the risk of becoming bored.
I’ll just ask them to tell me the highlights.
Through when I said that to my neighbour Fred,
All he could come up with
Was, in London, he’d fell out of bed!
Why was THAT all he remembered?
Had he fallen ON HIS HEAD?
illustration by ume-nori
