"Twenty Bucks" by Darren Sardelli

When I asked dad for twenty bucks,
he said, “Lets make a deal.
I’ll give you money only if
you eat a healthy meal.”
I found him sitting on the couch
before I went to bed.
I looked into his tired eyes
and this is what I said:

“I finished all my vegetables.
The carrots tasted great!
I ate the piece of celery
that mom put on my plate.
The eggplant was delicious
and the string beans were divine.
The peppers were fantastic
and the broccoli was fine.
The giant baked potato
was the highlight of my night.
The juicy red tomato
filled my belly with delight.”

My dad said he was proud of me
and handed me the cash.
I hope he doesn't find out
all this food is in the trash!

I picked this poem because it reminds me of my childhood. I hated eating the vegetables my mom cooked and I'd do everything and anything to get out of eating them. My dad never promised me money, but he did promise me a new toy,depending on what I was into at that time. I remember him promising me a new Barbie camper (with a mini kitchen and closet built-in!), new pokemon cards, and new Beanie Babies. And this actually worked! I used to eat all my food at dinner, but I remember one night when I just didn't feel like eating it, so I slipped what I didn't like into the garbage when no one was looking. Yeah, I was a rebel.

Every now and then, it's nice to read a poem like this that we can relate to. And it's a nice change from the usual verbose and obtuse poetry we have to deal with at school.