A centipede went to a shop

     To buy a set of shoes.

He woke the poor shoe salesman

     From his pleasant morning snooze.

 

'Come on and serve me quickly

     For I have no time to waste!'

The poor young man had such a shock

     And dashed around in haste.

 

'Fifty pairs of shoes you want -

     And all in the same style?'

The centipede sat comfortably

     And watched him with a smile.

 

'A hundred shoes are what I need –

     Yes, fifty for each side –

And bring a nice selection please,

     To help me to decide.'

 

The salesman brought the boxes down,

     And counted every one.

The centipede just sat and smirked.

     He thought it was such fun.

 

He’d try them on, but then would say:

      'These shoes are a poor fit,'

And: 'Do you have a smaller pair

     For these shoes hurt a bit?'

 

The salesman thought: 'This is too much' -

     Yet still he tried to please.

The centipede enjoyed his day

     And did his best to tease.

 

You couldn’t see across the shop

     For boxes piled in heaps,

But then the young man woke at last

     From his most distressing sleep.

 

He’d had an awful nightmare 

      Which had made him want to scream.

How glad he was to realize 

      It only was a dream.

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