A Happily Sad Toy
Mahesh Wadhwani 1971
I’m like the tiny shiny wind-up toy
Standing alone on an end shelf, no joy
People pass by gleaming at my cheerful face
Children stop, wind me up, see me jump, with grace
A smile crosses their faces, they clap with glee
All have a good laugh, release their distress and flee
Not one to buy me, as I don’t fulfill their needs
Good to know that I ain't attached to any one indeed
Wouldn’t want to be taken home, put on another shelf to greet
I stay here, smiling, ready to please the next one on the street
That was my life and then you came along
You too were lost, you stopped, smiled, I finally felt I belong
You too breathed a deep sigh of relief inside
You kept coming back, stirred me, gave me life
You touched me so deep that I froze in time
You lifted me up, wound me tight this last time
So tight, that I can't unwind myself this lifetime
Your play's over, life beckoned you, till next time
I'm on the same back shelf where you left me
Just another broken toy or what's left to be
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"A Happily Sad Toy" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/118158/a-happily-sad-toy>.
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