Post by davidmm on Apr 22, 2009 16:05:06 GMT -8
I hope I am allowed a brief preface to what follows. I guess many of you know that, from time to time, I drift into story telling mode. I guess that is what happened here. Hope it's not too boring
When TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
They'd been away for three whole days
And scarcely had they slept;
And now they huddled in a daze
As silently they wept -
Despite the warm and healing rays
Of Father Sun, whose welcome haze
Meant privacy was kept.
It seemed their tears would never end
And eyes would never dry;
Who said that broken hearts can mend?
They did not want to cry -
But better cry than to pretend
That sorrow was a welcome friend
Beneath that summer sky.
They both were bathed by Father Sun
As they lay at their rest,
Each trying desp'rately to shun
The pounding in the breast.
An age ago such joyous fun
Had ruled their lives, but that was gone
When they took up their quest.
It seemed so brave to venture out
Beyond their magic land;
And deep within they had no doubt
That all would go as planned;
Both minds were brave, both hearts were stout,
Both souls were pious and devout
And fortune stood at hand.
Young Applegreen (you may have guessed)
And Tangleweb, 'tis true,
Were fairies of the very best,
The finest of the few.
But now they'd faced their sternest test,
Agreed to tackle one great quest
A deed of derring-do.
The Council of the Fairy Ring
Had met that fateful day;
The fairies gathered, wing by wing,
A wonderful display.
As fairy voices raised to sing
The Anthem of the Fairy King,
They made the pine tops sway.
King Oberon, high in the sky,
Joined with the joyful song.
He rode astride a dragonfly
And hailed the fairy throng.
He saw each smile and heard each cry
And knew that he could not deny
The place he'd e'er belong.
At last he took his rightful place
Upon a lily, tall,
And looked down on each eager face,
Each eager face so small.
He wished to share each warm embrace
And realised, with Heaven's grace,
How much he loved them all.
A gentle silence slowly fell
Till not a voice was heard.
Then Oberon began to tell
Of things that had occured.
His fairy voice began to swell
And rang out like a steeple bell
And tears met ev'ry word.
He told them how their fairies' band
Grew weaker ev'ry day;
He wanted them to understand,
And asked them all to pray
To save their precious fairyland
Before it ran away like sand
To everyone's dismay.
The problem was, said Oberon,
The world could dream no more;
The Age of Innocence had gone
Like some deserted shore
Where sun and moon no longer shone,
Where nature could no longer don
The raiment she once wore.
There was no world of make believe;
All precious things seemed dead;
But there had been no chance to grieve,
No time for tears to shed;
Lost innocence could not conceive
A world of wonder so naive -
No tears, no doubt, no dread.
As Oberon spoke forth his tale
His words held tears and sighs.
He held his sobs to no avail -
Though tear-drop stained, still wise.
But then he cried, "We must not fail,
We fairy folk are strong, not frail,"
And fire lit up his eyes.
"We need two fairies, bold and true,
With courage to succeed;
And I have thought there are but two
Who have the strength to lead;
So Tangleweb (yes, I mean you)
And Applegreen (please, come on through;)
You'll represent our breed."
The voices raised, the cheers were long,
The fairies laughed and cried
As both friends struggled through the throng
(They'd nowhere left to hide);
The crowd sang out with gleeful song
Of how the heroes would right wrong
And bring back fairy pride.
Then in the presence of the king
They worshipped and adored
They promised heart and soul and wing
That pride would be restored;
They swore that soon they both would bring
Such dignity the fairy ring
Would reap its just reward.
Thus on that fateful dew flecked morn
They left their magic glen.
They flew through fields of waving corn
Towards the Land of Men.
On scented breezes they were borne
O'er sweetest rose and bitter thorn,
O'er house and barn and pen.
The sounds of children stopped their flight;
They glided to the ground
And hid away well out of sight
And made no stir nor sound.
They watched until the fall of night
They watched the games, the sweet delight;
The answer they had found!
As darkness fell they were alone
And Applegreen spoke out;
"Sweet children never can have known
The world of adult doubt.
Sweet innocence they've always shown
And prejudice can't yet be sown
Nor evil brought about."
The pair of them agreed right there
That this was easy work.
King Oberon's deep dark despair
Had made him seem berserk.
The children were an answered prayer;
The fairies' pride had gone nowhere -
'Twas but a passing quirk.
They slept that night, but not too well,
Each missed his comfy bed;
They missed their homes, their fairy dell
But when the task ahead
Had all been done their names would dwell
In fairy lore, what tales they'd tell,
Oh! How their fame would spread.
They woke to piercing children's screams
And poke and prod and push;
They'd both been dreaming fairy dreams
Beneath a scented bush.
But now their sobbing flowed like streams
Their plans were shattered to extremes,
Their blood began to rush.
As podgy fingers picked their wings
Their bodies were grasped tight;
Some say that hope eternal springs
But not amid such fright.
Last night they'd dreamed the dreams of kings
But woken to such sufferings
Without a chance of flight.
"Nice butterflies," one small child cried
Above the raucous din.
"Let's find a clean glass jar inside
That we can keep them in."
The fairy heroes lost their pride
As fairy freedom was denied;
Both felt it was a sin.
But soon the children's int'rest waned,
As children soon forget
The things that keep them entertained,
That make them smile, not fret.
With suddennness all unexplained
Within a trice all that remained
Was fairies in a sweat.
The pair were stuck within the jar,
The top was sealed down tight;
No help would come from near or far
As day gave way to night.
The sky was lit by one faint star
As both considered how bizarre
That they were in that plight.
The night was long and dark and hot
As air grew scarce and thin;
Their bravery was now forgot
Each head was in a spin.
They knew it was a tricky spot
But each determined not to rot,
They knew they had to win.
The morning came and Applegreen
Was feeling very ill,
While Tangleweb was balanced 'tween
Both hot and icy chill.
While all had been so unforeseen
And though the prospect still seemed mean
Each had an iron will.
The day passed slowly, oh so slow;
They dozed and moaned and slept;
It seemed so many years ago
Since last they had not wept.
Then suddenly a loud "Hello"
Broke through their sadness and their woe.
As up the jar was swept.
The jar was lifted up on high,
The lid was opened wide;
The fairies glimpsed the open sky,
Their freedom they espied.
The human adult wondered why
The jar had held a butterfly -
Not one, but two inside!
Before he had the chance to blink
The pair flew fast and true.
They had been rescued from the brink,
Their strength was back anew.
But as they flew they paused to think
And settled on a rose to drink
Its sparkling, sweetest dew.
When TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
And so they slept for hour on hour
And fairy tears flowed free,
Lost in the comfort of the flower,
With none to hear their plea,
But hoping that some mighty power
Would heal them in their secret bower;
They prayed so fervently.
They knew they had to go back home
To Oberon their king
O'er streamlets flecked with sparkling foam,
O'er streamlet, lake and spring.
They vowed that they would no more roam
Beneath the heaven's wond'rous dome,
No more would they take wing.
The fairies sat in silent shame
As Tangleweb, so stout,
With Applegreen took all the blame
And left them in no doubt.
But Oberon called each by name
And loudly did the king proclaim
No blame would be shared out.
The humble king told each one there,
With sad and wistful sighs,
That he had started the affair
And tears flowed from his eyes.
He wanted no one else to share
His guilt and deepest dark despair
And whispered his goodbyes.
The days passed by and sadness fell
On ev'ry fairy soul
And in the magic fairy dell
The sadness took its toll.
The king began to feel unwell
And no one there could break the spell,
No one could take that role.
The king grew worse amid dismay;
It could not be denied
His sunkissed face grew pale and grey,
The truth they could not hide.
Till Tangleweb, one tear-stained day,
Said they must act without delay
To bring back fairy pride.
This time there were no waves and cheers
So Tanglweb stood tall
And Applegreen held back his tears,
He'd never felt so small.
They fought against their darkest fears
And left once more their fairy peers;
They had to heed the call!
They flew to north, south, east and west
As frantic'lly they sought
The key to help them solve their quest
And nerves grew ever taut.
They tried hard not to grow depressed
They tried their hardest, tried their best
But still came up with naught.
As Father Sun took his last peek
And Mother Moon grew bright
Two sleepy fairies, tired and weak,
Found shelter for the night.
How cold it was, how dark and bleak
And neither had the strength to speak;
They'd sleep until dawn's light.
"Good ev'ning faires, please sleep well"
The voice spoke loud and clear.
Poor Tangleweb let forth a yell
And Applegreen felt fear.
It was as if a fiercesome spell
Had risen from the depths of Hell
And Satan may appear.
The stranger lit a candle stub
And smiled a toothless grin;
He gave his eyes a gentle rub
And stroked his stubbled chin.
"Pray, welcome to my private club,
I guess you folks have got no grub.
But none the less, come in."
Said Applegreen, "Please let me ask,
Who told you what we are?"
The stranger said, "I had the task
To free you from a jar."
His face was like a solid mask
His voice was rich as rare damask
And spoke as from afar.
"So tell me fairies, let me hear,
I'm sure you have a tale.
Come sit by me, come draw you near,
Draw back the dark'ning veil."
The candlelight gave some small cheer;
The story sounded brave, sincere
In ev'ry small detail.
When they were done the old man's eyes
Were red and wet with tears
And Tangleweb, to great surprise,
Said, "This will end our fears
You're old, my friend, you're old and wise
You weep at Oberon's demise,
What music to our ears."
Then Applegreen's eyes opened wide
A smile lit up his face.
"Weep on, old man, let tear drops slide."
His heart began to race.
"Our friends must all be satisfied
That we have found our fairy pride
And banished our disgrace."
A fragrant rose of deepest white
Seemed perfect for their need.
A tear they gathered that same night
'Twas perfect they agreed.
The candle stub burned bright on bright
And all of them showed their delight.
They knew they would succeed.
The morning brought their fond goodbyes;
The fairies travelled fast.
The tear filled rose, their perfect prize;
Their joy was unsurpassed.
And as they flew across the skies
It came to them as no surprise
That home was here at last.
They told their king how human tears
Had flowed when he was ill.
They stood up tall and told their peers
How they had watched them spill;
Now fairy pride, for many years,
The source of scorn to many ears
Was once again a thrill.
They showed the rose to everyone
Who said how brave they were.
And even good King Oberon
Would happily concur.
But now at last their task was done
They'd done their best and they had won;
And what did they prefer?
Young TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
When TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
They'd been away for three whole days
And scarcely had they slept;
And now they huddled in a daze
As silently they wept -
Despite the warm and healing rays
Of Father Sun, whose welcome haze
Meant privacy was kept.
It seemed their tears would never end
And eyes would never dry;
Who said that broken hearts can mend?
They did not want to cry -
But better cry than to pretend
That sorrow was a welcome friend
Beneath that summer sky.
They both were bathed by Father Sun
As they lay at their rest,
Each trying desp'rately to shun
The pounding in the breast.
An age ago such joyous fun
Had ruled their lives, but that was gone
When they took up their quest.
It seemed so brave to venture out
Beyond their magic land;
And deep within they had no doubt
That all would go as planned;
Both minds were brave, both hearts were stout,
Both souls were pious and devout
And fortune stood at hand.
Young Applegreen (you may have guessed)
And Tangleweb, 'tis true,
Were fairies of the very best,
The finest of the few.
But now they'd faced their sternest test,
Agreed to tackle one great quest
A deed of derring-do.
The Council of the Fairy Ring
Had met that fateful day;
The fairies gathered, wing by wing,
A wonderful display.
As fairy voices raised to sing
The Anthem of the Fairy King,
They made the pine tops sway.
King Oberon, high in the sky,
Joined with the joyful song.
He rode astride a dragonfly
And hailed the fairy throng.
He saw each smile and heard each cry
And knew that he could not deny
The place he'd e'er belong.
At last he took his rightful place
Upon a lily, tall,
And looked down on each eager face,
Each eager face so small.
He wished to share each warm embrace
And realised, with Heaven's grace,
How much he loved them all.
A gentle silence slowly fell
Till not a voice was heard.
Then Oberon began to tell
Of things that had occured.
His fairy voice began to swell
And rang out like a steeple bell
And tears met ev'ry word.
He told them how their fairies' band
Grew weaker ev'ry day;
He wanted them to understand,
And asked them all to pray
To save their precious fairyland
Before it ran away like sand
To everyone's dismay.
The problem was, said Oberon,
The world could dream no more;
The Age of Innocence had gone
Like some deserted shore
Where sun and moon no longer shone,
Where nature could no longer don
The raiment she once wore.
There was no world of make believe;
All precious things seemed dead;
But there had been no chance to grieve,
No time for tears to shed;
Lost innocence could not conceive
A world of wonder so naive -
No tears, no doubt, no dread.
As Oberon spoke forth his tale
His words held tears and sighs.
He held his sobs to no avail -
Though tear-drop stained, still wise.
But then he cried, "We must not fail,
We fairy folk are strong, not frail,"
And fire lit up his eyes.
"We need two fairies, bold and true,
With courage to succeed;
And I have thought there are but two
Who have the strength to lead;
So Tangleweb (yes, I mean you)
And Applegreen (please, come on through;)
You'll represent our breed."
The voices raised, the cheers were long,
The fairies laughed and cried
As both friends struggled through the throng
(They'd nowhere left to hide);
The crowd sang out with gleeful song
Of how the heroes would right wrong
And bring back fairy pride.
Then in the presence of the king
They worshipped and adored
They promised heart and soul and wing
That pride would be restored;
They swore that soon they both would bring
Such dignity the fairy ring
Would reap its just reward.
Thus on that fateful dew flecked morn
They left their magic glen.
They flew through fields of waving corn
Towards the Land of Men.
On scented breezes they were borne
O'er sweetest rose and bitter thorn,
O'er house and barn and pen.
The sounds of children stopped their flight;
They glided to the ground
And hid away well out of sight
And made no stir nor sound.
They watched until the fall of night
They watched the games, the sweet delight;
The answer they had found!
As darkness fell they were alone
And Applegreen spoke out;
"Sweet children never can have known
The world of adult doubt.
Sweet innocence they've always shown
And prejudice can't yet be sown
Nor evil brought about."
The pair of them agreed right there
That this was easy work.
King Oberon's deep dark despair
Had made him seem berserk.
The children were an answered prayer;
The fairies' pride had gone nowhere -
'Twas but a passing quirk.
They slept that night, but not too well,
Each missed his comfy bed;
They missed their homes, their fairy dell
But when the task ahead
Had all been done their names would dwell
In fairy lore, what tales they'd tell,
Oh! How their fame would spread.
They woke to piercing children's screams
And poke and prod and push;
They'd both been dreaming fairy dreams
Beneath a scented bush.
But now their sobbing flowed like streams
Their plans were shattered to extremes,
Their blood began to rush.
As podgy fingers picked their wings
Their bodies were grasped tight;
Some say that hope eternal springs
But not amid such fright.
Last night they'd dreamed the dreams of kings
But woken to such sufferings
Without a chance of flight.
"Nice butterflies," one small child cried
Above the raucous din.
"Let's find a clean glass jar inside
That we can keep them in."
The fairy heroes lost their pride
As fairy freedom was denied;
Both felt it was a sin.
But soon the children's int'rest waned,
As children soon forget
The things that keep them entertained,
That make them smile, not fret.
With suddennness all unexplained
Within a trice all that remained
Was fairies in a sweat.
The pair were stuck within the jar,
The top was sealed down tight;
No help would come from near or far
As day gave way to night.
The sky was lit by one faint star
As both considered how bizarre
That they were in that plight.
The night was long and dark and hot
As air grew scarce and thin;
Their bravery was now forgot
Each head was in a spin.
They knew it was a tricky spot
But each determined not to rot,
They knew they had to win.
The morning came and Applegreen
Was feeling very ill,
While Tangleweb was balanced 'tween
Both hot and icy chill.
While all had been so unforeseen
And though the prospect still seemed mean
Each had an iron will.
The day passed slowly, oh so slow;
They dozed and moaned and slept;
It seemed so many years ago
Since last they had not wept.
Then suddenly a loud "Hello"
Broke through their sadness and their woe.
As up the jar was swept.
The jar was lifted up on high,
The lid was opened wide;
The fairies glimpsed the open sky,
Their freedom they espied.
The human adult wondered why
The jar had held a butterfly -
Not one, but two inside!
Before he had the chance to blink
The pair flew fast and true.
They had been rescued from the brink,
Their strength was back anew.
But as they flew they paused to think
And settled on a rose to drink
Its sparkling, sweetest dew.
When TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
And so they slept for hour on hour
And fairy tears flowed free,
Lost in the comfort of the flower,
With none to hear their plea,
But hoping that some mighty power
Would heal them in their secret bower;
They prayed so fervently.
They knew they had to go back home
To Oberon their king
O'er streamlets flecked with sparkling foam,
O'er streamlet, lake and spring.
They vowed that they would no more roam
Beneath the heaven's wond'rous dome,
No more would they take wing.
The fairies sat in silent shame
As Tangleweb, so stout,
With Applegreen took all the blame
And left them in no doubt.
But Oberon called each by name
And loudly did the king proclaim
No blame would be shared out.
The humble king told each one there,
With sad and wistful sighs,
That he had started the affair
And tears flowed from his eyes.
He wanted no one else to share
His guilt and deepest dark despair
And whispered his goodbyes.
The days passed by and sadness fell
On ev'ry fairy soul
And in the magic fairy dell
The sadness took its toll.
The king began to feel unwell
And no one there could break the spell,
No one could take that role.
The king grew worse amid dismay;
It could not be denied
His sunkissed face grew pale and grey,
The truth they could not hide.
Till Tangleweb, one tear-stained day,
Said they must act without delay
To bring back fairy pride.
This time there were no waves and cheers
So Tanglweb stood tall
And Applegreen held back his tears,
He'd never felt so small.
They fought against their darkest fears
And left once more their fairy peers;
They had to heed the call!
They flew to north, south, east and west
As frantic'lly they sought
The key to help them solve their quest
And nerves grew ever taut.
They tried hard not to grow depressed
They tried their hardest, tried their best
But still came up with naught.
As Father Sun took his last peek
And Mother Moon grew bright
Two sleepy fairies, tired and weak,
Found shelter for the night.
How cold it was, how dark and bleak
And neither had the strength to speak;
They'd sleep until dawn's light.
"Good ev'ning faires, please sleep well"
The voice spoke loud and clear.
Poor Tangleweb let forth a yell
And Applegreen felt fear.
It was as if a fiercesome spell
Had risen from the depths of Hell
And Satan may appear.
The stranger lit a candle stub
And smiled a toothless grin;
He gave his eyes a gentle rub
And stroked his stubbled chin.
"Pray, welcome to my private club,
I guess you folks have got no grub.
But none the less, come in."
Said Applegreen, "Please let me ask,
Who told you what we are?"
The stranger said, "I had the task
To free you from a jar."
His face was like a solid mask
His voice was rich as rare damask
And spoke as from afar.
"So tell me fairies, let me hear,
I'm sure you have a tale.
Come sit by me, come draw you near,
Draw back the dark'ning veil."
The candlelight gave some small cheer;
The story sounded brave, sincere
In ev'ry small detail.
When they were done the old man's eyes
Were red and wet with tears
And Tangleweb, to great surprise,
Said, "This will end our fears
You're old, my friend, you're old and wise
You weep at Oberon's demise,
What music to our ears."
Then Applegreen's eyes opened wide
A smile lit up his face.
"Weep on, old man, let tear drops slide."
His heart began to race.
"Our friends must all be satisfied
That we have found our fairy pride
And banished our disgrace."
A fragrant rose of deepest white
Seemed perfect for their need.
A tear they gathered that same night
'Twas perfect they agreed.
The candle stub burned bright on bright
And all of them showed their delight.
They knew they would succeed.
The morning brought their fond goodbyes;
The fairies travelled fast.
The tear filled rose, their perfect prize;
Their joy was unsurpassed.
And as they flew across the skies
It came to them as no surprise
That home was here at last.
They told their king how human tears
Had flowed when he was ill.
They stood up tall and told their peers
How they had watched them spill;
Now fairy pride, for many years,
The source of scorn to many ears
Was once again a thrill.
They showed the rose to everyone
Who said how brave they were.
And even good King Oberon
Would happily concur.
But now at last their task was done
They'd done their best and they had won;
And what did they prefer?
Young TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Lay on the rose to rest
Their tiny wings could not be seen
And no one would have guessed
That TangleWeb and AppleGreen
Were snuggled safely in between
The rose's petalled breast.
