The Slow-Cooked Sentence

For Christ sake have a cuppa tea

Rachael Conlin Levy
Courtesy of the 19th century children’s periodical “St. Nicholas Magazine.”

There was a house, an angry house, where everyone was fighting.

And in that house there was a kettle, a screaming kettle, in an angry house where everyone was fighting.

And near the kettle were two bickering children. Two bickering children near a screaming kettle in an angry house where everyone was fighting.

And tangled up in the children was a howling dog. A howling dog tangled in two bickering children near a screaming kettle in an angry house where everyone was fighting.

And standing over the dog was a seething mama. A seething mama over a howling dog tangled in two bickering children in an angry house where everyone was fighting.

And from the garage was a cursing papa. A cursing papa listening to a seething mama standing over a howling dog tangled in two bickering children near a screaming kettle in an angry house where everyone was fighting.

And on the papa’s back was a happy baby.

A happy baby who kissed the papa, who danced with the mama, who pet the dog, who licked the children, who turned off the kettle.

There is a house, an angry house, where no one now is fighting.

Inspired by “The Napping House” by Don and Audrey Woods, and “Have a Cuppa Tea” by The Kinks.



2 responses to “For Christ sake have a cuppa tea”

  1. mamapease says:

    gotta love those babies. When is your house guest leaving? Can we have tea sometime? Kyndale

  2. Dylan says:

    This is great Rach. I can see it as a children’s book I would’ve remembered.

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