Animal Crackers and Cocoa to Drink...

Christopher Morley once wrote:
Animal Crackers

Animal crackers and cocoa to drink,
That is the finest of suppers I think;
When I'm grown up and can have what I please
I think I shall always insist upon these.
What do YOU choose when you're offered a treat?
When Mother says, "What would you like best to eat?"
Is it waffles and syrup, or cinnamon toast?
It's cocoa and animals that I love most!

The kitchen's the coziest place that I know;
The kettle is singing, the stove is aglow,
And there in the twilight, how jolly to see
The cocoa and animals waiting for me.

Daddy and Mother dine later in state,
With Mary to cook for them, Susan to wait;
But they don't have nearly as much fun as I
Who eat in the kitchen with Nurse standing by;
And Daddy once said, he would like to be me
Having cocoa and animals once more for tea!

And this afternoon as I took a quick break and realized that it was cold and I was drinking a steaming cup of Cocoa and eating one of my favorite things...frosted animal cookies you know the pink and white ones with the sprinkles I could not help but think of his poem and then of course I found myself smiling and humming that little ditty from a Shirley Temple movie:

Animal crackers in my soup Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop
 Gosh oh gee but I have fun Swallowing animals one by one
In every bowl of soup I see Lions and Tigers watching me
I make 'em jump right through a hoop Those animal crackers in my soup
When I get hold of the big bad wolf I just push him under to drown
Then I bite him in a million bits And I gobble him right down
When their inside me where its dark I walk around like Noah's Ark
I stuff my tummy like a goop With animal crackers in my soup
Animal crackers in my soup Do funny things to me
They make me think my neighborhood Is a big menagerie


     Wow it is amazing how such a little things can stir the memory and bring moments of smiles
that carry me through some of those harder moments.