Mr Whippy's van

I hear the music from Lassie,

(Although Mom says it’s named after sleeves of green).

My sister screams “It's Mr Whippy!”

Her face is the happiest I’ve ever seen.

The heat has been insane lately.

No rain to cool this old house down.

So, when kids hear the tune of Mr Whippy,

It’s a song of happiness all over town.

I race to find Mom’s purse before she hides it.

A few coins just to pay for a treat.

She’s faster though, and now we stare at each other,

A standoff over money for something to eat.

I’ll clean my room, I’ll wash the car,

I’ll hang out every washing machine load.

I must charm her super quick,

I know he is only down the road.

She falls for it and hands me cash.

My sister and I bound down the stairs.

We’re on the curb in no time flat,

Like little hungry bears.

He’s just a few doors down now, stopped at Mrs Black’s,

But now a new dilemma has me ripped.

What will I get? A strawberry cone?

A plain? or maybe chocolate dipped?

He’s coming now, I raise my hand,

To signal “please stop here”.

His wheels stop turning, and he opens the window,

My sister lets out a little cheer.

Two double scoop, choc-tops please,

I say as I reach up with my money.

Are you going to give one to your sister he asks.

Look mate, it’s not the time to be funny.

I hear the machine whirr away,

Squeezing out some frozen yummy.

In no time soon, I’ll be eating it,

And filling up my belly.

He leans back down, with two hands full,

Of a chocolate-covered dream.

Such a magical combination of wafers,

Sugar, cocoa, and frozen cream.

Thank you we both scream at him,

And then back to home we race.

Soon we'll see how much drips on the floor,

Or ends up on our face.

To this day I salivate,

When I think about Mr Whippy’s van.

A child loves an ice cream treat,

But so does a full-grown man.