My Mum and the Flower

My dad said that my mum

had some secrets.

‘One time’, he said,

‘when she was a girl

at school they said that

it was ‘Harvest Festival’

and all the children had to bring in flowers.



'Well, remember,’ said my dad,

‘your mother’s family were very poor,

they couldn’t just go out and buy flowers

and they didn’t have a garden

they just had a back yard.

Now all this made your mother

ashamed.

She didn’t want to be the kid in the class

who didn’t bring in flowers.

And she wanted to fit in.

So, do you know what she did?

She slipped into the Park,

the one just in front of the

Bethnal Green Museum

and she nicked a flower.

Now, don’t tell her I’ve told

you that.

She still feels bad about it

but you see she was so worried

about going to school and

being the only one who didn’t have

a flower that she was desperate.

So she nicked one from the park.

Now don’t tell her I told

you about it.

And don’t ever tell anyone about it,

will you?’