"ShamWow, Rutabaga, Penguin"

The University of New Haven had sent me a letter,
And I was accepted, things couldn't be better.
This was in the end of November,
But recently there was something else I remembered.

The Honors Program required an application.
Unfortunately, I resorted to procrastination.
On the ides of January, the application was due
But I waited until last minute-- that was nothing new.

A teacher recommendation I was able to get,
but the essay portion was what I couldn't forget.
Selection of one of two options was mandatory,
So the option I chose was to write a short story.

The requirements for this essay were unique,
And I was unaware of the havoc it would wreak.
Included in the contents of the story somehow,
should be the words: rutabaga, penguin, and ShamWow.

You'd think that writing this story would be fun,
but I was more than happy to be done.
I didn't think that my story was that great,
Writing under pressure is something I hate.

However, the other day, I received a phone call.
I guess my essay was fine, after all!
My application was reviewed, and I had gotten in!
All I can say is: "ShamWow, rutabaga, penguin".