Friday, March 14, 2014

The Adventures of Mr. Chip Salsa!

The Adventures of Mr. Chip Salsa!
Jennifer Leigh Moerschel

Mr. Chip Salsa prefers wood that is Balsa. 
He knows these are the best kind of trees,
To build ships that sail upon the high seas.

 But he has a such an unusual name. 
Giving him much unwanted fame. 
It is sneered at by people far and wide, 
All the way from the city to the countryside.

For years he has endured
when the children would thoughtlessly say,
“Dip the Chip, Dip the Chip! 
Maybe he’ll slip into salsa! Mr. Chip Salsa!”
He hears it most every day.

The whole town laughs at his family
They don't understand and they don't see.
He takes it all to heart, and he sets himself apart,
and wonders if there is anyone in this world who is really friendly.

They never knew this pain would drive him to the high seas.

Mr. Chip Salsa was never as feisty
as some thought that he should be
Like his Aunt Guacamole who is a little “rolley polley”
Or his famous Uncle Taco and his less well known cousin Paco.

People would laugh and proclaim
that they had the silliest names,
but they just let it slide
and instead of trying to hide
they would flaunt and soak in the fame.
But when people laughed at their names,
Mr. Chip would feel so much shame.

So he built a ship to sail away.
He gave his relatives the slip,
Planned on changing his name from Chip,
And escaping to a land where it would all be okay.

Mr. Chip Salsa in his ship made from balsa
Encountered the wind and the waves.
Should he still continue or try a different venue?
He decided to keep going and be brave!

He finally did reach the land!
The very one on which he had planned,
 He had found his heart’s first desire.

But when Mr. Chip stepped off of his ship
He found himself in the wrong attire.

They all wore purple and had an orange sash.
He only had red and didn't carry much cash.

 But still on his way he did fly to make a new home and new life.

He spent most of his money on the orange and purple clothes,
and then what did he do next do you suppose?

His plan was to go to the place
Where his hated name he could erase.
But on the way there Mr. Salsa had a care,
And he slipped in the mud and fell on his face!

A man from the town came over to help,
But Mr. Salsa said, “I can do it myself!”

The kind stranger asked his name,
and Mr. Chip wished that it had already been changed.

So he just said, “I’m Chip, and
Thanks for trying to help me when I slipped.

My purpose here is to find a new name.
My old one has caused me way too much pain.
So if you don’t mind giving me a tip,
I'll be off quick as a whip
And then I may know if I need to take the train.

The man in horror exclaimed,
“Mr. Chip, you cannot change your name!
In this land it’s grand to be a Chip,
and I am Mr. Dip. 
So if you please, do not complain!”

“Here, we become friends if our names rhyme.
It really does work, all of the time!”

As they walked through the streets, Mr. Chip had a thought,
Maybe my story should have a change of plot.
I can see it could be terrific to have a friend
Someone, on whom I may depend.

Then Mr. Dip had a question,
He asked, “What’s your last name and profession?”
Mr. Chip wanted to deny
But instead he just let out a sigh,
And said he had to make a confession.

So he told him that his last name was Salsa,
And he made ships with wood that was balsa.

It had been his hope and his wish,
That life would serve him a new dish.
He was tired of Chip Salsa,
And making ships out of balsa
So maybe he should just go and be a catcher of fish.

Then Mr. Dip said with a smile,
“Spend time with me for a while.
This may seem funny
But I have an idea that could earn us some money
And it’s much better than my job of laying tile!

You see, my name is Dip Veggie
Sometimes it’s great and sometimes it’s heavy.
But now my new buddy,
It’s good you slipped where it was muddy.
I can offer you a ride in my car, it’s the Chevy.

Mr. Chip and Mr. Dip were great friends!
They started entertaining since their voices could blend.
They would dance and they would sing,
Even went before the King!
These happy times helped Mr. Chip’s hurts to mend.

Mr. Chip was now valued and admired,
Whether or not he wore the orange and purple attire.
He had a great friend, on whom he really could depend,
And to marvelous dreams they did aspire.

As they finished one of their shows,
A few new thoughts in Mr. Chip's mind arose.

To Mr. Dip he exclaimed,
“Maybe, maybe I should just change my last name.
And there is one thing I know that I must proclaim as true.
This one thing I have learned, this one thing I must admit
Chip can do without Salsa, but certainly not without Dip!!!”

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