Little Johnny, he wanted a pet,
But Johnny’s mom said no, not yet.
We don’t have room for a dog or cat,
We have no yard and that’s a fact.
Johnny’s heart was nearly broke,
For his own pet was all he spoke.
One day while under old shade tree,
In joy and wonder his eye did see.
A caterpillar in fuzzy coat,
His dream come true, his very hope.
He picked it up with tender touch,
Right from the start he loved it much.
He named him Fuzzy, Fuzzy Smith.
He gave thanks to Jesus for this sweet gift.
Johnny built Fuzz a home from an old shoe box,
He put in some twigs, some grass and rocks.
Johnny was happy his life was now sweet
Cause he had a pet that couldn’t be beat.
Then one day when Johnny looked inside,
He cried out loud, “My Fuzzy has died.
A mean old spider’s come and wrapped him like a mummy,
I shoulda taped down the lid, I feel just like a dummy.”
Now Johnny was so sad, he missed his little friend,
“I can’t believe the good times have come to such an end.”
Johnny planned a funeral for later on next week,
His heart was filled with sorrow, he could hardly even speak.
The day of Fuzzy’s burial Johnny’s friends came to his house,
And when he opened up the box a butterfly flew out.
A friend told wide-eyed Johnny, “He wasn’t dead at all,
Now he can fly, where before he had to crawl.”
Metamorphose is the word when a worm gets his wings,
And death is not the end for man, though sorrow to us brings.
For Christ has died to bring us to His Father’s home,
No more to wallow in our sin, no more for us to roam.
For just like good old Fuzzy, we’ll fly away so free,
And leave this world of toil and trouble, pain and misery.
And God has got a better place for those who love His Name,
And when we leave these mortal tents, our lives won’t be the same.
Tertius
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.
The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
A note about “Metamorphosis (for Melissa)”: Written for a friend who passed away at a young age. I had hoped to give comfort to her family with this. I read it at the service. The day after my dad passed on I went to my mom’s and when entering the back door there I spied a cicada several inches from its shell, after having just emerged, right at eye level on the wall beside the door. One of my favorite analogies’ concerning the hereafter.