On the halfshell

There once was an Oyster.

There once was an oyster whose story I tell,
Who found that some sand had got into his shell.
It was only a grain, but it gave him great pain.
For oysters have feelings although they're so plain.

Now, did he berate the harsh workings of fate
That had brought him to such a deplorable state?
Did he rant at the government, cry for election,
And claim that the sea should have given him protection?

No - he said to himself as he lay on a shelf,
Since I cannot remove it, I shall try to improve it.
Now the years have rolled around, as the years always do,
And he came to his ultimate destiny - stew.

And the small grain of sand that had bothered him so
Was a beautiful pearl, all richly aglow.
Now the tale has a moral, for isn't it grand
What an oyster can do with a morsel of sand?

And this moral consider, think what could be
If the lesson were meant for you and for me;
What couldn't we do if we'd only begin
With some of the things that get under our skin!

Author Unknown

The Old Violin