Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.
Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
That brought him to such a deplorable state?
Did he curse at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?
No - he said to himself as he lay on a shell,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny: stew.
And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl all richly aglow.
Now the tale was a moral for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand.
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
With some of the things that get under our skin.
- David Cohen
