Peanuts, Popcorn, Cotton Candy!

Peanuts, Popcorn, Cotton Candy!
By Quizmo LaGrande

Peanuts, popcorn, cotton candy,
Oh, that baseball game was dandy!
All the kids from school that day,
Their parents too, on bus parade.

Two busloads, two, in our group seven,
Uncle, cous, to join the haven.
A big league game, the first for some,
A treat like never again to come.

How wide kids’ eyes, the stadium size,
The price of snacks brought big kid sighs,
But just to keep a happy crew,
Peanuts, popcorn bought for you.

The game was long, a happy time
Though our team lost, there was no crime.
So back to bus for home to go,
The crowd was huge, the moving slow.

A pause to use the little girl lou
The line seemed as to Timbuktu
The little ones tugging, "Come on, hurry up!"
“Don’t worry, they won’t leave without us.”

One more line before we leave,
“Can we please have some cotton candy?”
“Sure, your first game, can’t go without,
It’ll be awhile 'for the buses pull out.”

So dawdle our way back to the lot.
The cars now scarce, buses easy to spot?
Around in a circle we spun, two or three,
"We left the bus here. Here it should be!"

My gosh, they’re all gone, they’ve left gone home!
And wouldn’t you know, we forgot the cell phone!
So seven we stood in a big empty lot;
Glad there be Uncle or the Papa’d get hot.

Now back to the stadium to call for a ride
The gates are all closed, security high,
Nobody home, the pay phone locked tight,
Even the clean-up crew gone for the night.

I spotted a guard, with my best plead and charm
Managed to get him unlock the alarm.
Solo, Mom’s quest for a ride to secure
After all, I dawdled, twas ‘my fault’ for sure.

With one call in change, thank God for small power,
The taxi man said he’d arrive in an HOUR!
So back out to lot’s middle, we stood to await
A taxi-van that could carry us late.

Then came on the scene, a large caddie-cab
But five passenger limit, we couldn’t be had.
Again with the charm and since windows were dark
“The cops'll won't see us, dare we embark?”

"Okay," said the driver, "Go ahead and climb in."
A squished seat arrangement, let adventure begin.
Fat on the freeway we drove for an hour.
Watching the meter, my stomach grew sour.

Meanwhile on the buses, as home they approached,
Somebody noticed, our group was a ghost.
Wondered out loudly, "Where could they all be
Surely the other bus, don’t you agree?"

One hundred bucks later, home safe and sound,
Laughing and grateful, bus crowd glad we’re found.
Reimbursed for our trouble, but adventure like none.
Moral: Cotton candy is worth it-only to some!