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Kethry
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-29
Posts 9082
Victoria Australia

0 posted 2002-05-08 05:09 PM


*This has got to be one of the shortest short stories I have ever written. It is not a story as such but I hope you like it.

Night is softly falling, the wind whispers though the leaves in lullaby and the air stills and calms. The day gives way to the dusk and poppy seed pinpoints of light begin to emerge. The sun chases its shadow across the sky and yawns sleepily in reds and gold in preparation for sleep.
Mama bird has had a busy day and as she settles her younglings into the nest she hears their sweet piping voices saying sleepily, "Tell us a story mama! Tell us a story of life."
Mama bird snuggles down with them and says softly.
Listen well my darlings
Time to snuggle in
The night closes in so softly
Story-time will now begin
Listen with your ears
And with your heart as well
Hear all the words that I will speak
As this strange tale I tell

The baby birds settled down with chirrups and chirps and listened with their hearts and ears and Mama bird told the following story.
In the world made up of water there lives a strange creature called a frog, that's right Cyril I said a frog. Well a frog is a funny creature to describe - it has green or brown skin. No Clive, it does not have feathers. It definitely has skin that is green. How do I know? Well my mother told me so. No I haven't actually seen one but I do believe they exist.
Do you want to hear the story or not?
As I said in the world made up of water. - No Carmen I don't believe frogs can fly, not even through water. Water is the wet stuff that falls from the sky. I suppose if you had enough water it wouldn't go away when it hit the earth and maybe  there would be enough to make a world. No Clive it still does not have feathers. Yes they would get very wet in a world of water. In a world of water where the creature lived there were a number of other creatures that lived there too. No Carmen I don't imagine any of them flew either and they didn't have feathers either Clive, before you ask. I'm not sure how they kept warm in the water perhaps they didn't need to, at least my mother never told me that they died from cold. I think everyone needs to listen more and talk less if they want to hear the story. No that does not include me Cyril, how can I talk less if I am telling the story. Be silent now! Not one more cheep or squawk or I will leave you to go to sleep without a story.
I'm waiting. Still waiting. Are we ready now? Good!

In the kingdom of water there lived a creature called a frog, now the frog that was a creature of the air and water was different from the other creatures. The frogs were superior to all the other water life they thought and they began each day with a chorus of praise to the great green god who created them with flippers to swim and lungs that could breathe air and water. What no questions?

Mama bird looked and then looked again, all her younglings were fast asleep. She kissed them gently and went in search of the answers she needed to re-tell the story the next night.
The great bird in the air had told her a time was coming when all creatures would live together in a place called a zoo and then her little ones would need to know about the other creatures so they would not be petrified in fear, she just wished she had not chosen such an alien creature to begin with. She left her younglings to the mercy of the nest and her partner and flew all night. When the morning came she returned to the nest despondent and exhausted, there were many times during the night she had fallen asleep though she had not planned to. As creatures of the air such as she were not meant to wake through the night.
She settled to sleep just as her younglings woke up and putting aside her weariness she began the day of tending her young.

In a swamp not far from the tree, the frogs of the kingdom were preparing to sleep. Night with all its hunting and singing was ending. The fingers of dawn lengthened as she picked up her dress of russet and gold and prepared to spread across the sky like jam spread thinly over butter. The twinkling stars gave up the fight and one by one disappeared into the daylight.

The mother frog settled her children into their muddy beds and listened to the great green god about the story she would tell them, she had been warned that a time would come when the world would be much smaller and they would need to live in harmony with creatures of air, earth, wind and water if they were to survive. The mother frog listened longer until the sweet croakings of her children called her to their side.
Then she heard them say, "Tell us a story mama! Tell us a story of life." She grinned to herself, she knew exactly the story she would tell. It was a story of wonder and amazement a story of creatures so strange she was not sure they existed, although in her dreams they were vivid and clear. This day she would tell a story of a creature of the air that did not have skin on the outside but had something called feathers.

She gathered together her offspring and began:
Listen well my darlings
Time to mud snuggle in
The day closes in so softly
Story-time will now begin
Listen with your ears
And with your heart as well
Hear all the words that I will speak
As this strange tale I tell


Here in the midst of my lonely abyss, a single joy I find...your presence in my mind.  Unknown



© Copyright 2002 Lynne Dale - All Rights Reserved
NapalmsConstantlyConfused
Deputy Moderator 1 Tour
Senior Member
since 2001-05-15
Posts 529

1 posted 2002-05-08 05:31 PM


HAHAHAHA

this is really, really funny - i like it!
it's not entirely poetry, but challenge met hehehe.

oh how much we all love our children, lmao.
-Dave

Kethry
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-29
Posts 9082
Victoria Australia
2 posted 2002-05-08 05:37 PM


Dave,
I can do all poetry if you wish, but if it's going to be all new I need a couple of days.
Lynne

Here in the midst of my lonely abyss, a single joy I find...your presence in my mind.  Unknown



Marsha
Deputy Moderator 1 Tour
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-07-10
Posts 7423
Maidstone Kent England
3 posted 2002-05-09 07:47 AM


Keth darling sister of my soul and keeper of the nights magic this is utterly perfect the simplicity the elegance and the grace this is written with is perfectly delicious. The questions within that have the answers written inside. You are utterly utterly perfect when it comes to insight wisdom, and  I love it utterly but you knew that didn’t you. Wonderful writing as always.

This has lines that are spun with dreams light into a cloth of wonder, it lays over the soul like a blanket of delight. A wonderful truly exceptional piece of writing.

Yes I love it, I love it utterly utterly.


Love and warm stuff
As always
Mushy

To give light to them that sit in darkness..... to guide our feet into the way of peace Luke 2:79


Sunshine
Administrator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-06-25
Posts 63354
Listening to every heart
4 posted 2002-05-09 09:00 AM



Kethry, this is indeed one for the children....and I have three to share it with!

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