The Stringy Shopping Bag

We are told to avoid plastic bags:

They’re not good for the O-Zone

So I bought myself a stringy bag

To carry all my shopping home.

It started off so tiny

I wondered if it would cope

With all the things I had to buy

From tins to bars of soap

Trolley loaded to the brim

I was as proud as proud can be,

I was helping the environment

With my bag so small and stretchy

I waited in the checkout line

Carrier firmly in my hand!

Proud I was of that stringy bag

I was going to save this land!

The lady behind the checkout desk

Scanned everything in my trolley.

I started to put things in that bag

I was feeling rather jolly!

The bag began to stretch right out

It became twice its normal size

I shoved and squeezed, puffed out my cheeks

I really was surprised.

The amount of things that bag could hold

Amazed everyone in that store,

Because when I thought it was done

I could squeeze in something more.

The food kept coming down the belt

My bag was becoming huge

But still I pushed and shoved things in

My face was rather rouge.

That stringy bag, I thought would break

But it was strong as steel.

I filled and filled it to the brim

With every kind of meal

When at last I came to pay,

My look changed from proud, to funny

Because I’d not brought my leather bag

Which contained all my money.

So with a face as red as fire

I had to unpack that bag;

The woman behind the checkout desk

Was looking rather mad!

The manager came over to me

And waved his great big hand!

And said in angry, vicious tones

“Do this again and you’ll be banned!”

So all forlorn, I left that place

Stringy bag shrunk to normal size

Looking back at the superstore

I wiped large tears from my eyes!

The moral of the story is

You may want to save this land,

But make sure you bring your money with you

To stop you from being banned!

© Carolyn Davison