sardine people waddled by
in the shadow of a tower sky
they rushed to ticks & tocks
hypnotized greed & clocks

but somewhere between the busy
amongst the hurried dizzy
in a notebook, old and torn
a tiny story was born

a boy who loved tiny things
like a batling with blue wings
sat beneath a willow tree
and wrote a tiny story

he watched a seed become a plant
went to a funeral for an ant
met a shadow that didn’t listen
and a girl with cheeks that glisten

he knew a panda who dreamt in color
an angel who made people hug each other
a dragonfly who didn’t breathe fire
and a hummingbird in a choir

he danced with dusty streams of light
and slept on his closet floor at night
but as he wrote these tiny tales
a bathtub floated by with sails

his tiny stories were alive!
and tiny things began to thrive
they reached out their little hands
and stretched across every land

a brand new world came to be
where love and joy were free
and no matter what your size
you’ll be sure to win first prize

the little boy stared in awe
of all the wonder that he saw
amazed by his own imagination
that all of this was his creation

and soon others came to write
which brought the boy great delight
together they’d play and roam
together they’ve built a home

<3

one day i was lost and no one could find me

i just couldn’t put all my troubles behind me

so i had to get out of the house just to clear my mind

 

i put on my shoes and i grabbed mister umbrella

(you know, that guy is such a temperamental fella)

and i headed out into the rain to see what i might find

 

it was still dark out i couldn’t see the moon around

is it possible she’s moved to another town?

and it looks like mr. sun hits the snooze at the start of each day!

 

as i strolled down the the street i started looking around

and i could hardly believe all the tiny stories i found

but i suspect they’ve been there the whole time, right in front of my face

 

i met a dandelion who was sad he lost him mane

and a blue raindrop who doesn’t like the rain

and a cloud who hates cloudy days he says they drive him insane

 

there was a worm who thought all his troubles were over

and a hard working bee who dreamt of rolling in the clover

and a hopeful mayfly who had all her reservations made.

 

there was a dragonfly who dreamed of breathing fire

and a mosquito who thought it would be cool to be a vampire

and a gargoyle who wished he was just a garden gnome

 

i saw a snail speeding by on a tortoise’s back

a butterfly who fell in love with a tiny scrap

of paper floating by, she knew she’d finally found the one

 

i met a sweet junebug who couldn’t wait for december

and a humming bird who couldn’t quite remember

the words to the song she had just decided to sing

 

mr. cranefly explained he was not a heavy lifter

and mr. ladybug always had to emphasize the mister

they say it’s crazy what people think when they’re not using their brains

 

there was a hopeful magpie who was always befuddled

she never could never catch the stars in the puddles

but she was sure if she tried hard enough, one day she might

 

i met a sad little tree who thought the moles were out to get her

and a moth who dreamed of living in the cashmere sweater

and a wasp who thought it best to be the first with a preemptive strike

 

suddenly the wind gave me a shove and it grabbed mister umbrella

and the soles of my shoes must have looked like a propeller

as i spun into the sky and found myself in the top of the tree

 

just then a little faerie landed on the edge of a leaf

it’s time to open your eyes she said to me

now look around you and see the world there is to see

 

she made me a tiny cup of tea

she said you look like you could use a tiny story

and she told me about the little girl who only wanted to dream

 

she said, you are always at the center of the universe

so if it feels like things are going from bad to worse

just trust your heart and know you have the power to do anything

 

i thanked her and told her i should be going soon

she had a twinkle in her eye as she winked at the moon

who had just shown up because she had an early date with the sun

 

a frosty spider web lit up in this delicate light

a little bird was contemplating the intricacies of flight

and i could feel everything stirring as nighttime was on the run

 

the stars in the sky were telling me secrets

they told me if you fall down you just get back up

and as left i felt my heart had learned a new song to sing

 

i swore i saw the street lights leaning into each other

and a little drop of water trying to keep up with her mother

and the world held it’s breath at the flutter of a damselfly’s wing

 

now the sun peeked up over the horizon

like an impatient child who wants to see what the surprise is

and i thought this sure looks like the start of a wonderful day

 

i saw the green rolling hills kiss her misty lover goodbye

the sun started a fire that lit up the sky

and a bright morning star winked and sent me along my way

 

my shoes got in a race to see which one was winning

i got ahead of myself and i couldn’t stop grinning

when i got back home i knew my heart was in the right place

 

success told the dream i’m nothing without you

the dream whispered back you know, i never did doubt you

i opened up the blinds and beams of happiness lit up my face

 

you know that life is wrapped up in this one single moment

we all have at the same time it can’t be stolen

it’s yours and it’s mine and it goes on until we pass away

 

so if you find that you’re lost and no one can find you

just go out and find them you know they’ll remind you

that you’re here and you’re loved and you’re wanted in the world today

 

everyone has a lot of love to give

and even the tiny little flower has a life to live

so open your heart and your mind and be open to the cosmic play

 

‘cause everywhere you go you’ll find a million tiny stories

and there’s always one more so it never gets boring

i know you’ve got one too, i’d love to hear what you’ve got to say!

I was interested in seeing if I could reRECord some really great text RECords into another text RECord - not something I often think of doing. I bookend-ed this with pieces of "I See Legs", which is something I wrote during my first week as a hitRECorder back in July.

----------

And the truth is
On any other night
She would have been a blur
Blowing past my car window.
But there I was
Waiting to cross the busiest street in town
When without a sound,
Without so much as a shadow
She glided up to the corner
And then ebbed gently back
Toward the lamp post
Where yellow light
Sprayed down the back
Of her black dress.

And the truth is
The walking wasn't so bad.
The light flurries could be
(Romantically)
Called the cold kiss of January -
She had sloppy lips though
And got specks of spit
On my cheeks
And in my eyes.

And the truth is
The first words I said
Didn't come from my mouth.
The first thought I thought
Didn't start in my head.
I was unwillingly bound to someone else.
I didn't know what was going to happen to me.
But I wanted to break free
So I cut the ropes.

And the truth is
I wasn't like you
A bruised fruit
Fallen off a tree
Shining on the ground
For everyone to see.

And the truth is
You looked like you were made of chalk
You looked like you had never been living,
Had never blinked, had never made a joke.
Reality fell away
I found myself lying face-up
Under the bed
Staring at the brown weave
Like it was a magic-eye puzzle.
I had left my feet in the hallway.
I had swallowed my tongue.
The bones in my body had disintegrated.

And the truth is,
I will never hear your voice again.
So please, I asked, play this one last.
Soft, so we can hear the men cry.
You became so small.
A stamp or a xerox copy.
You nor I will ever know when to heal.

And the truth is
I fingered smiley faces
Onto dew-covered car windows
While walking to the train from your house.
In the morning,
While owners drove to work,
Light would catch their windshields
Revealing the filthy ghosts
Of my self-expression.

And the truth is
Since I boarded this bus
I've been trying to escape you,
But you are a bird.
You are a bird that travels with me.
You are hidden in the heart of every tree.
I blink away the memory.
I don't know where I am,
But it seems far enough away
And I need some fresh air.
This ache is stretched across the length of me.

And the truth is
My feet feel detached from the rest of me
As I kick at the place where the cuff of my pants should be.
My knees are locked in place
And my legs are bound by the same hypnotic spell
That flicked my senses into a drifting dream.
The traffic relents
And she leaks away from the corner
And across the intersection.
She never even noticed
The witless shell of a man
Left floating in her wake.

No one knows who anointed him the juggler or when he first set these spheres into motion. Perhaps he has always been there like the court jester, or the suspicion of the mind against the contortions of the body.

People stare as he tosses the spheres into the air. Nobody knows what is inside one of these spheres. The juggler smiles, unable to contain the pun of the secret, like Sisyphus; the juggler understands that in order to keep the balance of things, something must be sacrificed. A little sense of humor thrown into the bargain never hurts anyone.

In fact, it adds a bit of flare to the performance, so the juggler closes his eyes & catches a glimpse of a world that nobody knows of. He reconfigures these images for the onlookers. The expression on their faces is priceless. These are not common tricks, that's just how the juggler wants them to appear.