FERDINAND'S CHILLY ADVENTURE

With 13 grandkids, it's hard to recall
the birthdays and ages of them all--
Is Ferdinand eight or did he turn nine?
I get confused most all the time!
But ask me if he's full of pep,
and I will quickly answer "yep!"
Our Ferdinand is quite a guy,
his freckled face will catch your eye.
His high-jinks always make you laugh,
there's nothing that he does by half.

One day when he came home from school,
his head was damp and his smile was full;
Said Marcus gave him a little dare,
to duck his head in the toilet there.
"If you don't, I won't be your friend."
so over the toilet, he did bend.
Well, Mommy knew she must be stern,
so that Ferdinand would learn,
but she couldn't stop laughing long enough
to teach him that important stuff.
Why, in the toilet, did Ferdinand lean?
"Go wash your head, and wash it clean!"

Last week Mommy baked a cake
that took a lot of time to make.
It flopped so badly, the birds were glad
for one of the best treats they ever had.
Company coming, she started once more,
and made a better cake than before.
With the finishing touch all done,
she placed in the fridge that lovely one.
Little Ferd was thirsty as could be,
went to the fridge for sweet iced tea,
But Ferdinand thought the cake looked great,
stuck his fingers in, and some frosting he ate!
Mom got mad at that little deed,
said, "No iced tea, even if you plead."

Well, Ferdinand thought that wasn't fair,
so he wanted to run away from there.
Madder than a wet hen, out the door, 
he wouldn't put up with any more!
He didn't think of the ice and snow
or the wind that had started to blow;
in his hurry to get out of there,
he plumb forgot his feet were bare!

No one there to give him advice;
the front porch steps were full of ice!
He couldn't stop--the ice just got him,
didn't land till he reached the bottom!
Slowly he traveled, Creeping and crawling,
slipping, shivering, sniffling and bawling,
If only he could make it to the back door
of the home he escaped from minutes before
the cold little boy in the storm all alone
would never again run away from his home.

Is there a moral?  Sure, one or two,
but I think "Boys will be boys" will do.
and the things Ferdinand learned that day
were better than any a teacher could say.
There's no better lesson than an icy fall
to teach a kid that home is the best place of all!