CHANGING PARTNERS

My Olympus was tired,
It’s motor was sprung
After thousands of photos,
it’s work days were done.
I hated to see our relationship end
That battered old camera had been like friend.

Whenever someone blew out a candle
Or rode up on a bike,
waved from the stage,
or climbed high on a hike
Whenever my granddaughter built a castle in sand -- all those times and more I had my camera in hand.

Finding a new partner is a hard thing to do
How do you know the one right for you?
I searched the internet,
Read every review,
Compared feature by feature
But wasn’t sure what to do.

Finally I decided to go to a store
Sure enough there were cameras galore.
I picked each one up, trying to see
Which one might be the right one for me.
But not one seemed to welcome
The touch of my hand
Each bore encryptions
As from some alien land.

I knew not their language,
And I’d about given up hope
I could find a new camera
I was such a dope.

Just then approached a lad about 22,
He could read the symbols
And explained what to do.

Soon, he assured me,
I could be taking photos with ease
Using this camera would be a breeze.
But I saw him hide a smile
As he watched me reach for the camera
And turn each dial.

I brought the camera home
And opened up the box
Once we were alone
That camera eyed me like a fox.

It knew I could not handle
Such a clever fellow
The more I tried, the worse I felt
My nerves had turned to jello.

Still I persisted,
Returning only twice
To seek out the young man
For a just bit more advice.

Finally I had a bit of luck
A little part inside the camera
Managed to get stuck.

I packed up the fox
In its small littered box
and hunted for the receipt,
Hoping as I held my breath
it had not been dropped upon the street.

But, no, there it was right in my purse
When I read what it said, I had no need to curse.

Within 14 days of purchase, it was OK to return
Ordinarily there would be a 15% restocking fee
But since my camera broke, I could return it for free.

When I found the red-vested lad
I told him his wonderful camera had been very bad
I demanded my money back from the store
And head held high, stormed out the door.

Of course, I had to keep on searching
I could not let it be
Surely somewhere out there
Was a camera meant for me.......

And one day I found one
just waiting for my touch
We’ve had no trouble so far
And like each other very much.

Now when a seagull
Flaps his wings to settle on the sea
I can catch his image in my lens
and keep him part of me.