Jessie played in the bathtub with her favorite toy

A plastic whale

How it brought her joy

She’d wind it up then watch him kick kick kick

His blue fin was a real hit

Her whale was lost during a flood

It broke her heart till her dad explained he went out to sea

She looked for that toy in the aftermath but only found mud

Her dad insisted he was happy, where he was supposed to be

When she was a little older, she enjoyed going in the hot tub

Her dad told her that one day first she had to clean the filter

It was her birthday, and cold, but the water would feel good for sure

She reached her hand down into the hot water, unscrewed the cap and removed the cylinder

The clear water of the tub mesmerized her

And that filter looked like baleen

White bristles encircled in plastic

Like whale teeth

She was elated, a little dramatic

She smiled, as she thought of that old toy whale

How she missed him

When to her surprise, a snout emerged from the water

Bluish-pale

With steam blowing out

She stood in amazement

He’d made it!

There was a small whale

She jumped in, grabbed hold of him

And he swam her out to the sea

She held his tail

She was a fairy