THE NEWCOMER AND THE HAPPY SHOP ASSISTANT

by Bill "Pegasus NZ" of New Zealand
Aquarticles

My mate said “Go and get some fish”
It always was my favorite wish
So to the shop I made a dash
Geez, I wish I’d brought a bit more cash
The prices here seem rather steep
Some of them could make me weep

The man rushed out with a big smile
Won’t even let me look a while
“You’re gonna need that, and you’re gonna need this”
I began to wish I’d given it a miss.

I gazed around like in a dream
With mounting costs I almost screamed
It all looked very strange to me
The assistant rubbed his hands with glee.
My slip now signed he rushed away
I might see you another day”
I wanted him to tell me more
But he just pointed to the door.

I got it home and set it up
My wife gave me an evil look
I must remember what he said
The wife’s annoyed she went to bed
A tangled mess it looks right now
I’ve got to fix it up somehow.

This long thing all covered in glass
With a plug on the end it looks quite flash
I wonder what that little light is for
There’s an outlet here just by the door
I plugged in and to my surprise
It got red hot before my eyes
The tank was full so I threw it in
With a bang and a flash Oh what a din

I now sit here in the dark and cold
I should have thought what I’d been told
I’ll fix the fuse and start again
I can see that this will be a pain
Those fish he sold me look quite dead
I can’t remember what he said

With morning here I start once more
My wife is angry and slams the door
Perhaps I made a big mistake
I’ve taken all that I can take
My fish all dead and the heater blown
If only I had just been shown

I’ll start again and read some books
My wife still gives me dirty looks
I’ve learned a lot since my mistakes
I guess that these are just  the breaks