»
Archives
»
Open Poetry #15
»
Pricilla and the Knotty Aardvark
| Open Poetry #15 |
|
Pricilla and the Knotty Aardvark |
|
|
Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada 
|
Pricilla and the Knotty Aardvark Pricilla, the gorilla was a gentle loving soul, She was the talk of all the land … a wonder, truth be told; Six hundred pounds of kindness, wrapped in brown and golden fur, A magnet for the poor and weak, her heart was sweet and pure. She helped the poor unfortunates, who struggled through the day, It mattered not the species … she loved ALL who came her way; She could not turn a creature down, no matter what their size, From tiny tree toads, tigers too … orangutans to flies. Her reputation grew and grew, they came to her in droves, With minor ailments, broken wings and slivers in their toes; A break, a bump, a scrape, a scratch … she helped them all to mend, Throughout the forest she was known as everybody's friend. Young Arthur lived across the woods and knew Pricilla's name, He dreamed of some day meeting this gorilla of acclaim; His nose was long and tapered … measured almost three feet two, Till one day when he sniffed a feather … up his nose it flew! See, Arthur was an aardvark with a very special plight, He needed help to find a cure from sneezing day and night! They told him to be patient, that he'd sneeze it out in time, But every sneeze, his nose would stretch …it now reached four foot nine! When Arthur sneezed, he sprayed a breeze, with such a mighty force, The other aardvarks gave him room - he'd sneeze till he was hoarse! His nose would swing and vibrate, twirl in such a frightening way, They gave him lots of room … Oh my! … 'Twas such a grand display! Until one day it happened - he was sneezing quite a lot, When suddenly, he sneezed so hard … his nose went in a knot!!! He crossed his eyes, looked down his nose, all twisted, kinked and curled, But nothing that he did would get that knot of his un-twirled. The others tried to help him, greased his snout and gave a pull, Took turns at poor old Arthur, but it stayed in tangles still; They gave up in frustration, that's when Arthur heard a shout, "You ought to find Pricilla now! I'm sure she'll help you out!" So Arthur, with his nose in knots, set out upon the trail, In search of the gorilla that so many creatures hailed; He had no problem tracing her, they all knew her by name, Pricilla the gorilla had amassed a lot of fame. He came upon a clearing at the outskirts of her home, And stopped in shock at what he saw, and gave a little moan … There must have been a hundred creatures lined up in a row, And so he took his place in line, behind them all in tow. In front of him, a lion stood, a thorn was in his paw; A rabbit in a sling was just in front of him he saw; A chimpanzee on crutches hobbled just in front of them, And on and on the ailments grew … lost sight around the bend. He waited patiently in line, as others took their turn, Consulting with Pricilla and the wisdom she had learned; He almost nodded off until the croc behind him nudged, "Hey buddy! It's your turn!" and gave young Arthur quite a shove. He looked ahead and saw her there, a massive gal she seemed, With eyes as gentle as a lamb, much kinder than he'd dreamed; "Pricilla, won't you help me please?" The little aardvark begged, "Most certainly, my long-nosed friend … jump up here on my leg." "You have quite a predicament!" she laughed and gave a smile, And with her nimble fingers, the gorilla worked a while; She traced the loops and gently tugged until the knot was free, Then "POOF" his nose was straight again! He jumped from off her knee. "Pricilla, you're amazing!" Arthur yelled for all to hear, "My nose is straight! The knot is gone!" He gave another cheer! He danced around and grinned with glee, but what do you suppose? He plumb forgot that feather that was wedged up in his nose! He thanked this gentle giant, turned around and raced for home, But part way there, the forest filled with smoke … he gave a groan. He heard the beat of stomping feet - he smelled the stench of fear … "A forest fire!" echoed through the woods from far and near! Now back a ways, Pricilla heard the frightful news as well, A fearful mob had gathered 'round, and they began to yell; "Please help us! Help us!" they all begged, "The smoke is getting thick!" "Please help us all, Pricilla!" Some were weak and others sick. She could not leave a soul behind, the flames were drawing near, And so she mustered up her strength and yelled "Come over here!" She wrapped a rattlesnake around her neck and gave a twirl, And propped a raccoon snuggly on her head where he could curl. She placed a toad on each her ears, a monkey on her back, A fly upon her nose, and on her chest, two wombats sat; A tiger grabbed around her waist and held on from behind, "I think that's all the room I have!" she said to those in line. But one by one, they scrambled on, two cheetahs grabbed her knees, And on the monkey's back, there jumped three rabbits and some fleas; A parrot landed on the coon, a hummingbird then hopped, Some lizards, ants and spiders crawled until they reached the top. "The flames are getting closer!" someone yelled from far away, Pricilla said "Just grab the tiger's tail! We're on our way!" The injured and the frightened formed a line behind her then, A panther grabbed the tiger's tail, with no more time to spend. Behind him, formed a lengthy line, a deer and crocodile, A bat, a boar, a wildebeest, some zebras and an owl; It went on for an endless way, till someone yelled, "That's all!" "Let's go Pricilla!" echoed through the line, from big to small. Pricilla flexed her muscles, tried to take a step ahead, It was a mighty effort, and the weight filled her with dread; She must have had five thousand pounds of creatures holding on, And all would perish there … unless Pricilla could go on. She bared her teeth, she tried again, she raised her leg and stepped, While fear and terror came from far behind her as they wept, Now fortified by frightened pleas, she raised her other leg, And somehow, sweet Pricilla the gorilla moved ahead. She dragged them for what seemed like miles, but really it was not, They hadn't gotten out of danger, flames were growing hot; She knew she couldn't carry on, she had to sit and rest, She plopped down for a moment, tried her best to catch her breath. They gathered 'round Pricilla, as their fate was drawing near, They huddled as the flames came closer, filling them with fear; Pricilla raised herself again - they all climbed back on board, To form their train behind this big gorilla they adored. Then suddenly Pricilla spied young Arthur up ahead, He seemed a bit disoriented, "Over here!" she said. As Arthur heard the friendly voice he turned around to see, The sickly group had formed a chain in their attempt to flee. He ran toward Pricilla; saw her straining through the smoke, "I'll carry someone if you like," the little aardvark spoke; She smiled at him, and then bent down, and passed the lizards on, The ailing spiders, hummingbird and parrot moved along. They rested on young Arthur as they forged through all the heat, Pricilla kept a steady pace, she'd not admit defeat; But then the aardvark stumbled, did a summersault with flair, His passengers went topsy-turvy, flying through the air! Pricilla stopped to pick them up, but as she did … she froze, The parrot with a broken wing, had landed on his nose; He'd sniffed up two more feathers, adding to the one inside, And as he breathed, they tickled him, "Are you OK?" she cried! He stood up, yelled through squeaks and groans, "Take cover everyone!" His nose began to vibrate, as it twitched and twirled and swung. The parrot hopped off Arthur when his nose began to sway, But no one knew what Arthur did … a sneeze was on it's way!!! They watched him sputter, squirm and snort … he chortled and he sighed, His eyes began to water … couldn't stop it, if he tried! The creatures fell down to the ground, Pricilla plunked down too, As Arthur gasped one final breath, and blew a big … "ATCHOOOOOOOOOO!" It roared as loud a thunder, sent a shock wave through the air, A hurricane of slime and goo went blasting everywhere!!! It flew a mile in all directions, landing all around … On tops of trees, on all the creatures, covering the ground! The air grew still, an eerie calm descended on the land, Pricilla opened up her eyes and to and fro she scanned; The flames had all been smothered, and the smoke had blown away, "You've done it Arthur! Look around! You saved our lives today!" The aardvark opened up his eyes, to growing, loud applause, He heard the cheers and laughter, from the beaks and claws and paws; He crossed his eyes, looked down his nose, all twisted, kinked and curled, His nose was in the biggest knot he'd seen in all the world! Pricilla stood beside him, as the crowd around them cheered, Applauding the gorilla and the aardvark they revered, "I don't deserve this." Arthur sighed, "YOU went the extra mile." "I only sneezed by accident!" … but wise Pricilla smiled. "There are no accidents, my friend - you came to me this way." "I touched your life, and in return, you saved us ALL today." "It's good to help another when you can … you never know …" "The one you help today, just might become your OWN hero!" She hugged his nose, and kissed his knot … "Let's tackle this again." Pricilla tapped her knee and winked … "Come here my knotty friend." /Kit McCallum (Oh boy ... if anyone made it this far ... you deserve a medal, LOL!!!)  |
||
| © Copyright 2001 Kit McCallum - All Rights Reserved | |||
Marge Tindal 
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Kit~ Whew ...... ! Laughing my head off ! (think Pricilla the gorilla can fix that ?) You just have to have the greatest imagination in the world ! What fun with a dose of wisdom and sensitivity~ Fun ! Fun ! Fun ! I won't EVEN ask what the motivation was for this piece~ LOL ! Lots of neat action, lady~ Kids would LOVE it ... Yes WE would !  Big hugs~ ~*Marge*~ ~*The pen of the poet never runs out of ink, as long as we breathe.*~ |
||
|
Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
ROFL ... thank you Marge! I was a little nervous posting this one ... and you've made my day with this wonderful response as I head off to work! Many, many hugs to you (and the little kid in you too).  Much appreciation and big, big hugs my friend, /Kit [This message has been edited by Kit McCallum (edited 08-28-2001).] |
||
|
Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354Listening to every heart |
Where's my medal? I don't see it anywhere! I've come all this way - it disappeared into thin air! But I'm going to mark this anyway, a treasure for some child to learn about all the things that go on in the wild! Big Grins! |
||
|
Seymour Tabin Member Empyrean
since 1999-07-07
Posts 31720Tamarac Fla |
Kit, Or should I call you Mrs Zuse? Not sure of the spelling? A wonderful tale a wonderful write. With a hidden poem between the lines. Bravo and bless you. *L* Sy |
||
|
ethome Member Patricius
since 2000-05-14
Posts 11858New Brunswick Canada |
Kit you have brightened up my day! This is absolutely delightful!! Thanks! |
||
|
Titia Geertman Member Ascendant
since 2001-05-07
Posts 5182Netherlands |
Oh Kit, this is just a wonderful story and you wrote it so super. Into my lib. it goes, thank you so much dear for this creative humor. Titia A rose is a rose is a rose...I guess... |
||
|
Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
Bravo!!! You did a superb job with this tale! It would make a GREAT kids book (can you draw an aardvark?)... |
||
|
Janet Marie Member Laureate
since 2000-01-22
Posts 18554 |
YOURE the one who gets the medal!!! This is as cool as can be.. clever imaginative creative work and cadence kissed to boot,,,way coool later ant-eater-gator   "oh you speak to me in riddles |
||
|
JamesMichael Member Empyrean
since 1999-11-16
Posts 33336Kapolei, Hawaii, USA |
Kit what a story teller you are...James |
||
|
Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
Thank you soooooooo much everyone for hanging in there and reading through the whole thing. I can honestly say, this is the longest one I've done yet, LOL. Everyone deserves a medal indeed ... for you too up above Marge! Hugs to all.    Sunshine: LOL … Thank you for the wonderful rhyme Karilea, and here you are my friend. A special one for this sweet rhyme. Seymour: Oh, thank you so much Sy .... Mrs. Suess eh? I couldn't be smiling any wider right now ... thank you! Ethome: I'm so glad I could brighten up your day for a wee bit Eric ... you always brighten up mine. Thanks so much! Titia: You are so welcome Titia, and thank you so much for these wonderful words, I am very appreciative! Poet deVine: I can draw Sharon, but not well enough to be an illustrator I'm afraid, LOL. Thanks so much for the encouragement and the lovely response Sharon! Janet Marie: Awwwwww ... you found that blue aardvark! I loved that cartoon when I was a kid! JM, you are simply amazing my friend. Thank you for the lovely thoughts and pictures! James: That is one of the nicest things to hear James, thank you so very much. I had a lot of fun writing this one. Much appreciation to you ALL for making it through this "little" story, /Kit [This message has been edited by Kit McCallum (edited 08-29-2001).] |
||
|
illusion Member
since 2001-06-19
Posts 296 |
When a poem is this delightful, it can never be too long. Don't worry about giving me a medal - you've already given me smiles and a warm heart for the morning and the anticipation of reading and enjoying this time and time again. I'd probably bruise my nose on the medal anyway, as I tried to bow and pay homage to your talent.  |
||
|
2dalimit Member Elite
since 2000-02-08
Posts 2228Mississippi coast |
Your talent is awesome. I can hardly wait to share this with the little ones. Thank you for posting this "little" story. BTTT for the young at heart. Melton |
||
|
Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
Illusion: I'm glad I was able to give you some smiles Illusion ... thank you so very much for these wonderfully encouraging comments. Hugs. Melton: Awww ... thank you Melton, I hope the little ones do enjoy it. I had great fun writing this myself, I'm so glad you enjoyed, and thank you. Much appreciation to you both for sitting through this lengthy read, /Kit |
||
|
Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
You never cease to astound me, Kit... Where do you find the time to write such wonderful work? Fess up, my friend..   |
||
|
Balladeer
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-05
Posts 25505Ft. Lauderdale, Fl USA |
I'm with Nan. You got WAY too much time on your hands!! Ron needs to give you more responsibilities!! This is wonderful, Kit. To write an epic this long and manage to hold the reader's interest and not missing a beat in meter or rhyme while doing it is truly an awesome feat. You are indeed a very gifted poetess...  I took the road less traveled..now where the hell AM I??? |
||
|
MARK V SHELDON Member Elite
since 2001-06-21
Posts 3015In a corporeal internship... |
Kit, if I had kids, I would read this to them and can predict that it would become their absolutely favorite story. What an epic tale in such flowing meter and rhyme! With whole-hearted honesty, Kit, you should seek to publish this one somewhere (anywhere!) so that generations of kids can bond with their parents and dream of lives that can be good. The medal goes to YOU, my friend. -MVS "It's all in the details -- the Big Picture always takes care of itself." |
||
|
Tracey Member Elite
since 2001-08-29
Posts 2808where insanity meets breeding |
You almost make me wish I had kids to share this with. What a delightful story, and what a true lesson it teaches at the end. Very, very, very well done If she who dies with the most toys wins, then can I have some toy boys please? |
||
|
Parker Member Elite
since 2000-01-06
Posts 3129ON |
Kit, great story and message. i didn't want to scroll down or I know how big it was... but the story just kept me going... Enjoyed very much. Parker |
||
|
Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
Great story! Cor |
||
|
Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
Nan: I didn't find the time for this one, my friend ... it found me whether I liked it or not, LOL. I was away for a few days, and it tickled my brain till it spilled out over a few morning teas. Thank you so much for the wonderful words Nan. Many hugs, Balladeer: ROFL ... I don't feel like I do "enough" for Ron with all the things Passions has given me in return. Your friendship sweet poet, is one of the treasures I cherish so very much from my time with Passions. Thank you so much for always noticing the rhythm and rhyme ... you are one of a kind, and I hope you know how much I appreciate you. Big hugs, Mark: Oh Mark ... this is such a lovely reply. Thank you so much these encouraging remarks. I don't have kids either, but I have some wonderful nieces and nephews that I adore. They have yet to read this, but they are sweeties, and I'll be sending it to them soon. Thank you again. Tracey: Aw Tracey ... what a positively sweet thing to say. You've simply warmed my heart this evening. Thank you so much! Parker: ROFL ... you know me too well Parker. That's what I was afraid of ... that people would see the length and shy away. Thank you so very much for going the distance my friend, I'm so glad you enjoyed! Corinne: Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed Corinne ... I'm so very grateful I could pass along this story, I did have fun with it. Many thanks! Much appreciation, /Kit |
||
Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Tori and Tash said to tell you that "you rock!" (that is a good thing) this was their bedtime story and as I am pooped guess it is mine too. |
||
|
Midnitesun
since 2001-05-18
Posts 28647Gaia |
THANKS to Sharon for bringing this back! I never read this delightful tale before! |
||
|
Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
 Here we go loop-de-loo back to Kit and her zoo ! Poetic archive ... come alive !!! Here we go loop-de-loo~ ~*The sound of a kiss is not as strong as that of a cannon, but it's echo endures much longer*~ |
||
|
|
⇧ top of page ⇧ |
|
| All times are ET (US). All dates are in Year-Month-Day format. | ||
