The Genie

A bottle washed up on the beach,
half buried in the sand.
Was this just refuse from nearby
or from some far-off land?

The bottle didn’t look like any
one I’ve seen before.
I wondered how it came to rest
before me on this shore.

I picked it up and brushed it off,
then looked on out to sea.
I had the feeling this was meant
especially for me.

The color was a dirty green;
I could not see inside.
It was the perfect place, I thought,
for something you might hide.

That something might be anything,
your guess as good as mine.
But it was sealed up good and tight,
protection from the brine.

I shook it once or maybe twice
but nothing made a sound.
So maybe there was nothing in
this bottle that I found.

But I had heard of tales like this;
I should have paid more heed.
A genie could be stuck inside
just waiting to be freed.

That genie would grant me a wish,
whatever I would ask.
But first I had to get him out;
a not so simple task.

The seal that kept the bottle closed
might take a little while.
Hey, maybe this was how it worked -
I had to pass this trial.

And so I took the bottle home
to come up with a plan.
I put some deep thought to this job.
I am a modern man.

I looked at it from every side,
and then I used my wits.
I took a hammer in my hand
and smashed the glass to bits.

That genie didn’t say a word;
I hoped he was okay.
But that was all the plan I had,
so what else can I say?

There was no genie hiding there.
There was a simple note.
A little piece of paper where
some unknown person wrote.

This bottle is a fine antique
It is extremely rare
Its worth will make you very rich
So handle it with care

I’m sure that genie had a laugh,
and I am laughing, too.
I swept the glass up off the floor.
Well, what else could I do?