Cella Ree and Tommy To
Two funny friends that you all know
Are Cella Ree and Tommy To.
About as queer as friends can be,
Are Tommy To and Cella Ree.
For hours they sit there grim and stable
Side by side upon the table.
Tom is red and Cella pale,
His blushes are of no avail;
She sits, in spite of his endeavor,
As firm and undisturbed as ever,
A funny pair, you must agree,
This Tommy To and Cella Ree.
First published in The Peter Patter Book of Nursery Rhymes (1918).
It’s a dinner-table comedy frozen in time — a bashful “Tommy To,” who may be more turnip than tomato, and a cool-headed stalk of celery locked in silent rivalry. Blanche Fisher Wright turns a simple still life into a personality parade: bold color, quiet humor, and that subtle wink that makes you see vegetables as old friends. The rhyme plays like gentle teasing between opposites — earthy and blushing meets crisp and composed — the perfect kitchen-daydream for a child watching lunch come to life.
