The old man sat motionless1
under the porch roof, moving only a finger2
to turn the pages of the book in his lap.3
Shifting only his glance,4
he watched the birds at the feeder5
across the yard and smiled.6
Each day, as spring ripened7
and weather permitted, 8
he moved the canvas chair a little closer.9
It was warm and bright10
as his daughter arrived11
in a cloud of dust.12
A little girl hurried from the car,13
ran up the walk14
and leapt into his arms.15
"Papa! Papa!16
I missed you!17
It's so good to see you again!"18
The old man smiled,19
"You get bigger every time I see you!20
But your nose never grows!"21
She giggled and snuggled;22
the old man put an arm23
around his grown daughter.24
"And you are more beautiful25
each time I see you!26
How are things?"27
"I am fine; we are fine.28
I have wrinkles I hide.29
How are you?"30
"How about a root-beer float31
and some Gingersnaps?"32
The old man asked.33
"Gingersnaps?34
What's a Gingersnap, Papa?"35
The little girl pulled back in his arms.36
Inside the cottage, with a tray for both;37
"Dip the cookie and let it soak38
until it is soft."39
He smiled as he brought chairs40
near the glass door. "Now, watch41
real, real close..."42
He stepped out on the covered porch43
and put on a wide brimmed hat44
that matched his Camo shirt and pants.45
He picked up a small tray with one hand46
and a yellowed canvas deck chair 47
with the other and walked across the lawn.48
He had been sitting only a moment or so49
when the first bird cautiously landed 50
on the edge of the tray on his lap.51
Then another landed opposite52
and several more fluttered down to rest53
on his knees and shoulders and one on his cap.54
"Mama! Mama! Papa is Magic!55
He can talk to the birds,56
like my pretend books!"57
The woman smiled58
and put her hands on the59
little girl's shoulders.60
"Remember last year,61
your name was growing62
in Papa's garden?"63
"Yes! Yes! Papa is64
really, really magic,65
isn't he?"66
"Your Papa has been67
surprising me since I68
was a little girl."69
"But I think this is the best ever!"
Author notes
For my Grand-daughters Gwen and Alyson, Gwen has a pug nose and Alyson is mischievous with a twinkle...
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 9 of 9
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This was so beautiful. Every child needs a magical story somewhere in their life and this one is perfect. So cute the way he collects the birds around him, and grew her name in the garden.
What a truly lovely story book, I can just see the images in my head. An Australian front yard with a bush theme and a snug little cottage in amongst all this wild life and tress.
Stunning.
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It's a poem? Some one said it was.Any way I like it, it's cute from the depressive poems I write! =)
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That was so cute and wonderfully written :]
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So sweet! An adorable little poem. (=
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This was a wonderful poem. It was very cute and easy to read. I hope your grand-daughters like this very much.
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Awee! So adorable
It flowed really well.
Tch, I wish my daddy was magic ¬ _ ¬ -
This is so cute!
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This was great!!
I loved how easy this was to read, it was effortless! It flowed so nicely and felt so natural. So much was told here with hardly any words. You did amazing with this! Thanks for sharing it with us!
beginning: 5, language: 5, plot: 5, ending: 5, dialog: 5, characters: 5.
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A nice tale!!
This is neat! And i like the poem. I didn't get lost.
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