Hugs are the bear necessities of life

Now here’s a thing, a mystery, A puzzle, there’s no doubt. But maybe, all together, We can work the answer out. First, go into a toy shop And buy a teddy bear, Gift it to a little child, Then go, and leave it there. Yes, leave it there. Do not return For, oh well, quite some time, So it may dwell within a world Of make-believe and rhyme. But when, at last, you do return A wondrous change is there. For something strange has happened To that ordinary bear. Transformed and quite transmuted, No longer just an ‘it’, Now known by name — and more than that — A name which seems to ‘fit’. Our furry friend may now have signs Of wear, or even tear. It takes a lot of hugging To show how much you care. And so, back to my question. However can it be This bear-of-mass-production Now has personality? You may say I imagine it, But, when push comes to shove, I reckon it’s the alchemy Of sticky-fingered love.

Tricia Sturgeon, Mundesley, Norfolk.