Charting a child's growth

A brief visit to the watch shop at Clementi Mall on Saturday had somehow inspired my daughter to write this after we got back. A good record of how she is growing up! Better in her words than mine right?

Old Father Time sells a watch

Old Father Time once had a shop

And it sold everything that could be got

Riches! Gold! And everything nice!

And yes he would even sell mice!

So one day in came a man

Whose life seemed to have gotten out of hand

His face was so sad and so worn

And his clothes were all torn

“My good man,” said Father Time

“What would you really like?”

“I want a lot,” the man replied,

“Riches, happiness and long life.”

Father Time thought for a long time

As though he was trying to make up a rhyme

At last he said, “Come with me!

I have something you should see!’

Then he produced an old battered watch

Its rims were silver but quite worn

On its face written in a rhyme

Were the words written by time

“I can bring you silver and gold,

Happiness and plenty all at one go!

But beware how you seek

For I will not favour the weak”

The man bought the watch

And brought it home

He waited and waited

For the things it told

Years passed and nothing changed

He had waited and waited in vain

One day at a thousand and two

He wanted to return the watch he took

He called his descendant and went to the shop

And there stood Father Time as before

“I want to return this,” the man said,

“It broke the promise that it made.”

“The watch served you true and true

As you see you are a thousand and two

The watch bought you time but you were not wise

And hence you did not use it right

Time can give you silver and gold

But it would not get them for you

You had a chance but you didn’t try

To get what you wanted with your might”

So Father Time ended his speech

While the man stared at his feet

Then passed the watch to his descendant

Warning him to use it different