Old Man

By: Mindy Horr

Once upon time there was an old man,
He loved the ocean when he stood in the sand
But when he came to the water to enjoy its wet
He could never cross the line of where the two met.
The tide would creep up and stop inches to his toes
why he wouldn't go further only he knows.

For you see this old man had once been quite small
and he would jump in the ocean before the rest of them all
Squelching and squishing his toes in wet sand
He would even journey far from the dry safe land.

But then one day came a strange rare event
and He wasn't expecting the way that day went
For there was something afoot and something suspicious
underneath that bright surface, something malicious.
Though curious a little and somewhat in doubt
he waited just a moment but then headed out
Out to the sparkle and out to the blue
Not knowing that voyage he could never undo.

For you see our old man, while then just a lad
got carried away to a land that was bad
Heading in for the day he walked onto a shore
and came across colossal-great dangers and more.
He fought with a dragon, a tiger, a brute
all in one day, and all in his suit.
He fought til his legs couldn't hold him up longer
he fought til his arms were ten times stronger
He defeated those brutes and those monsters galore
out on that distant, strange, fairy tale shore.

When all was fought and all was won
He didn't know what to do when the day was done
Should he hop in the water and hope to float home
to the sand that he knew from whence he had flown?
But what if he was carried to a quite different place
where monsters were very much harder to face?
He really didn't have much choice in the matter
so he held to the hope that no place could be badder.

In he went and out he came
only to face the like and the same
monsters and ogres and such gruesome big gorts
again, only dressed in his bright red shorts.
So he geared up his courage and set his chin
and he plowed into the fight ready to win.
Now our old man, well then just a kid
why win, of course, that's just what he did.

And yet again faced with a hard enough fact
hop into the water? would it bring him back?
Resigned to his fate of battles and wars
he waded in deep, awaiting more shores.
And so he headed off to each distant land
fighting against villains and taking a stand.
He would beat them all soundly and they knew his name
for the boy in red shorts had gotten much fame.

But then one day he came within sight
and walked onto a shore that had no one to fight.
In fact it was empty and peaceful and quiet
no ogres or gorts and no loud rumbly riot.
So he built up a tree house and built in some bunks
and decided to retire those bright red swim trunks.
He lived such a life, relaxing all day
with no one to fight and no one to slay.
He grew up strong and he grew up to be old
and that's where our story began being told.

This old man decided that his was the life
of no pain and no gain,and he missed all the strife.
So he got out his shorts and they fit him just right
and he went to the ocean to look for a fight.
But just as he got to his knees in the water
a wave swept a lady into his arms and he caught her.
Her hair was the color the same as a silver lining
and her eyes were as sparkly as the stars when shining
And she looked up at him and thought finally "at last!"
here was a place where there were no more tasks
No supper to make, no houses left to clean
for those were the islands that she had seen.

Carried to and fro and all over the place
she cleaned up people and picked up their waste.
Finally, too she had come to a land
where she was not needed and didn't lift a hand.
But laid around all day and all night
breathing in deep with all her might.
But she had grown old, and alone she was too
and so waded out in her bright yellow suit.

And here she was in the arms of another
who had feared wading out into the deep, deep water.
Glad that they did, because they soon became aware
when he had stepped in, the waves carried her there.
So they lived on that island for the rest of their days
no longer swept away, so they played in the waves
His bright red suit just as it ever had been
and her yellow one shining along next to his.



My sister Mindy wrote this the other night when she was suppose to be doing her homework. Not bad for procrastination. She kindly allowed me to post it for the enjoyment of others.