The Little White Seal

I have a story to tell
About a little white seal
So you listen well.
There's a lesson to learn,
A moral, I say!
About litter, a beach,
And a blue crystal bay.
Once man came along
Singing a terrible song.
They did not care
What they did or said,
Just used everything up,
Including the bay.
Man left trash on the beach.
Boy, what a heap!
This trash cut.
This trash strangled.
This trash trapped animals.
Pop cans, bottles, bags, and pails.
What a mess to clean up!
Man did not clean up his mess,
So it grew and grew
'Til man was out of room.
Mankind pondered:
"Where do we put our trash now?"
"In the bay!" said one.
The bay was large.
It flowed into the ocean.
There was plenty of room.
It would take many a year to fill.
'Twas the perfect place.
The little white seal,
He was the first to see
The bay no longer gleam!
'Twas not crystal.
'Twas not clear.
And oh! The smell! The stench! I swear!
The little white seal
Explored the bay's floor.
Only to find garbage galore.
Quickly he searched.
He looked for a conch
And with one mighty blow,
Out came a sound
That everyone knows.
All the animals came,
Attended, you see,
A meeting,
About the crystal clear bay.
The sea floor was a mess,
The beach, even worse!
They voted to clean
And run man out.
These animals were smart.
For they knew,
If they cleaned
The beach and bay,
Man would just begin again.
The animals cleaned, labored,
And made plans for their neighbors.
The little white seal
Would see no such thing.
He wanted to talk
And make friends.
He knew
It would only grow worse
If they make enemies with man.
The animals did not heed
The white seal's warnings.
The little white seal
Was laughed at and mocked.
So he went away. . .
Sad, alone.
Our sad friend met
A sad little boy.
The seal spoke.
The little boy raised his teary eyes.
He knew of the mess
And the damage it did.
He said:
"I am only one. The one that cares."
So our friend
Spoke of the animals work.
He said
"You are not alone. Us, the animals, agree with you."
The white seal proceeded.
He spoke of the animals' plan
To run mankind out
Away from the bay, the land.
The sad ones made a pact,
Promising to make
Man and animal a friend.
Fish cleaned the bay,
As it only seemed right.
The otters, seals and walruses
Worked at the beach.
The boy came
With a line of humans.
The animals prepared to fight.
But low and behold,
Who did appear,
The little white seal.
He was right there with them.
The boy and the seal
Came forward and said
"We can be friends, work together,
And live in harmony."
The speeches went on.
Each convinced their own.
Together,
Man and animal worked.
With shovels, trash bags, and hands,
They cleaned that beach.
'Til all you could see
Was never-ending white sand.
The animals and man,
Together cheered.
They ran and danced
On the white sands.
The little white seal
And the boy rejoiced.
Their pact had worked!
From that day forward,
Man and animal worked together,
Remaining friends.
The moral, you ask?
If we all work together
And do our part,
The earth will be beautiful and clean.

July 1998