this lamb is your lamb, this lamb is my lamb

Roosevelt Elementary, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
May, 1939

Imagine a school play, a historical yarn. . .


[Enter GEORGE WASHINGTON and BETSY ROSS stage left, carrying a stuffed lamb.]

GEORGE:

Her fingers strong and nimble,
and patient skill unbounded,
Betsy Ross sewed the symbol
of this new country we'd founded.

BETSY:

When the founding fathers asked
my help, I thought it was a dream.
The stars! The stripes! The spangled task!
But to sew by twilight's gleam
is more than eyes can handle;
and by Dawn's early light I stare.
When I really need a candle
I sew instead by rockets' red glare.

GEORGE:

Betsy Ross, I cannot lie.
Your sewing tale has made me weep.
One question, though: I wonder why
does our story have a sheep?

BETSY:

Don't be such a nitwit, George.
I sewed the flag from sheep's wool
clipped from the flock at Valley Forge.
That's the story, told in full.
One could say our tale's sheer yarn.

GEORGE:

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a darn
if your story's true or full of sheep.
You've needled me, you've had your fun,
you've got my goat, you've made the puns,
the story's done. It's time to sleep.

[Exit and curtain. Wool curtain, of course.]