What Happens to a Toy Chewed Up?

[Heidi & Milton]

Currently my seventh grade writing students are immersed in a poetry unit, which has been a lot of fun!  In class, we recently read Langston Hughes's "What Happens to a Dream Deferred?"  Here are the lines to it if you do not recall:

What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

My students had some really good insight into the deeper meaning between each set of similes.  They puzzled to figure out why each was a perfect example of a dream dying.  So, the other day when I saw these two legs ominously lying beside our trash and recycling cans, a similar thought sprang to mind of, "What happens to a toy chewed up?

Reminiscent of Dorothy's house falling on the Wicked Witch of the East in The Wizard of Oz

Pure carnage

I specifically remember many good times with this once special and then wholly intact toy.

A once clean Crazy Legs Monkey palling around with Sock Monkey

Testing out the travel crate with Crazy Legs close by

Crazy monkey on Milt's back!

 I suppose it was really only a matter of time until Milton separated those crazy legs from Crazy Legs Monkey.  So, what really happens to a toy chewed up?  It hangs around until Milton starts swallowing bits and pieces of it.  Then it hits the trashcan for a proper burial at the dump.  Sad, I know.  If only Milt would learn to be more responsible with his toys!

To read more about Milton the Goldendoodle visit www.goldilocksandherdoodle.com

[Pat and Traveler]

Love the story/poem/photos!  That Milt is just too cute.  Love the leg dangling from his mouth...

[Lonnie & Libby Lu]

Love that Milt!  The pictures are so cute Heidi!   Great poem too:)

[Bonnie and Kona]

Love the poem but love that puppy so much more! hahaha! 

Our naughty doodle boy eats the legs and leaves the body. We have caught him with the feet of a leggy toy sticking out of his mouth. You would think I would have learned to take photos of naughtiness by now, but I am a photographic failure.

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

Baby Milt!!!!

[Marnie, Stanlee's Mom]

Yes.....I'm a dork and I wrote you a poem. LOL