Joey's Prayer

"Good evening, God…
Does that sound odd?
I want so much to tell you what I'm thankful for
I'll do my best to name it all, not to be a bore.

"I'd like to thank you first for home and family
Mommy, Daddy and my granny mean so much to me.
They love me, play with me and put up with my pranks
Though Daddy likes to threaten, he never really spanks.

"I would really, really love to have a doggie
But for now I guess I'm happy with my froggy.
Mommy says I need to learn responsibility
By taking care of Froggy to the best of my ability.
He's loveable for sure, a little trouble too:
There was that time he hopped in Granny's shoe…

"I'm definitely thankful for the sisters I don't have
Girls are so bossy, and they always call me "bad."
The neighbors say I'm spoiled as the only kid—
I've gotten away with almost everything I did!

"Thank you, God, for Timmy, our next-door neighbor's son;
He makes a splendid friend, we always do have fun.
The seasons, too, are lots of fun: winter, fall and spring,
Summer is my favorite: school's out, no studying!

"I guess that's most of all what I should thank You for;
It would take a lot of time to tell You any more.
Good evening, God, I hope I'm being good.
This was lots easier than I feared it would."

With teary eyes, Mommy looks across at Daddy,
"It's a shame we lack his faith," she says quite sadly.
"God is dead: there's no reason to say thank you.
But to make our son an atheist, I cannot bear to do.
Is it possible we could be so simple and sincere?"
"Maybe someday," Daddy muses, "God speaks, and we will hear."

Lines: 32. Words: 302.
Couplets, spaced into verses of four to six lines each for easier reading.
Written for "Writing 4 Kids Contest "