Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony
Little Abigail and the Beautiful Pony - meaning Summary
Want, Grief, and Absurdity
A short narrative about Abigail, a child who begs for a pony, is refused by her parents, and insists she will die without it. Her parents dismiss her tears as melodrama, but Abigail becomes inconsolable, fails to eat or sleep, and dies from grief. The poem compresses a child’s absolute feeling and adult indifference into a blackly comic, cautionary tale about taking emotions seriously and the literal consequences of extreme statements.
Read Complete AnalysesThere was a girl named Abigail Who was taking a drive Through the country With her parents When she spied a beautiful sad-eyed Grey and white pony. And next to it was a sign That said, FOR SALE—CHEAP. “Oh,” said Abigail, “May I have that pony? May I please? ” And her parents said, “No you may not.” And Abigail said, “But I MUST have that pony.” And her parents said, 'Well, you can't have that pony.' “Well, you can have a nice butter pecan Ice cream cone when we get home.” And Abigail said, “I don’t want a butter pecan Ice cream cone, I WANT THAT PONY— I MUST HAVE THAT PONY.” And her parents said, “Be quiet and stop nagging— You’re not getting that pony.” And Abigail began to cry and said, “If I don’t get that pony I’ll die.” And her parents said, “You won’t die. No child ever died yet from not getting a pony.” And Abigail felt so bad That when she got home she went to bed, And she couldn’t eat, And she couldn’t sleep, And her heart was broken, And she DID die— All because of a pony That her parents wouldn’t buy.
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