Cap’n Beware and Ho Hum
My mother has two special friends
and all their love she often sends.
One is a penguin named Ho Hum.
The other’s a teddy bear recently come.
She reads to them tales and stories and rhymes
and shows them their picture from time to time.
Cap’n Beware is a teddy bear
and he loves my mother who gives him care.
He likes to see who comes and goes
and see the leaves in their fall show.
Ho Hum is a special one
and sure of everything that’s done.
He carries great authority
tho who he rules none can see.
He’s of book and picture fame
so everyone does know his name.
Both like the water, like it well
the teddy bear will seldom tell.
Penguins like it ice and snow
frozen in a world they know.
But they like the winter time,
one outside and one inside.
Bears stay in in wintertime,
an ancient habit we will find.
He’s shocked at his friend
who is friend with the snow
and paddles around at 20 below.
His antics and frolics can’t quite understand
but watches in wonder to see if he can.
And when their daily play is done
they sit up on the couch
and listen to her stories
of creatures like themselves.
And like to hear the things they do
and how they live and play
in worlds of life and fantasy
and fall asleep that way.
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Higha
One day I climbed a great big tree
and kept on going higha –
I put each foot upon a limb
and pulled with all my mighta.
At first it was so easy
to keep on going higha
but as I got on toward the top
I got a big surprisa.
The tree it bent this way and that,
it seemed oh so much lighta,
and when I looked up and around
the sky seemed very brighta.
But when I turned to go back down
I could not find the branches.
It seemed the limbs had disappeared
and left me hanging chances.
It took so much in time and work
to finally go back down –
it seemed it was a different tree
and really turned around.
But when I finally made it
and got back on the ground,
I felt relief and wonderment
to still be safe and sound.
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The Hidden Cupboard
There used to be a cupboard,
when we were very small,
high above the fireplace
hidden in the wall.
Sometimes we asked our Mother,
but only now and then
if we could look inside it
and see the things again.
There were many pictures
of things quite far away –
in a different world almost
was what you’d have to say.
We loved to look and wonder
at all the things we saw
and had a kind of reverence
and a kind of awe.
It was an experience
for which we always longed,
high up in the cupboard
where all the things belonged.
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May Day
May Day always used to be
the sweetest day that days could be.
And for several days before
we used to sit upon the floor
and fashion several paper cones
from sample books that were our own,
and put a handle on the top
of our different colored cups.
On May first we used to rise
early right before sunrise
and get our cones and rush downstairs
and run right to the violets there
and hang them o’er the basket’s rim
carefully so they won’t fall in.
And go to neighbors here and there
and on the door leave flowers there,
early so they couldn’t guess
who had left the violets.
A custom wholesome, happy too
of springtime flowers from me to you.
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Hallowe’en
On Hallowe’en we always had
parties best in all the land.
Our garden was both wide and large
and we got corn shocks from the yard
and set in corners here and there
of our garage for atmosphere.
And we got some pumpkins too
and carved them as we wanted to
and set them also here and there
in case someone would get a scare.
And also apples from the tree
bobbing ‘round so temptingly
in tubs of water so we see
if we can get one, mouth only.
Also hanging from a string
were many apples we did bring
to see if could eat one there
without our hands, but in the air.
And we had many other games
but the favorite I would name
was a fortune teller there
with a scarf upon her hair
and many beads and skirts that day –
it was our Mother help us play.
And she had a rounded glove
(that was for lights but who would know)
and told us all our fortunes there
so accurate that some did scare.
For she knew us very well
and our thinking she did tell.
And everyone was satisified
and happy with our games inside.
And tho it was long, long ago
maybe yet an interest holds.
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If We Didn’t Have an Attic
If we didn’t have an attic
or a basement way downstairs
or an old garage
we’d had to move somewhere.
We had so many things to use
and as the years went by
we’d have had it all
piled ceiling high.
Especially in the attic
we had odds and ends
and things we liked to look at,
admire once again.
For oh so often we would see
something very lovely
we’d forgotten all about
and happily bring it down where we could see
how wonderful it seemed to be.
And also found things we could use
instead of buying something new
and happy that it was right there
would hasten off to make repair.
And so we found it useful too
with many things that we could use –
valuable our attic store
of the things we had before.
And so it was with every place
we kept our extra just in case
we ever used it once again
and we’d be sure to have it then.
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