I can still remember something special about that evening, at my great Aunt Bubba and Uncle Ollie’s house (yes, we actually called them that). And that’s in spite of the fact that I was only about four years old, almost 7 decades ago. My mom had just given my younger brother and me a bath. And she was about to take me out to the far reaches of space, roundabout where Wynken Blynken and Nod were ready to set sail in their famous wooden shoe.
Mom didn’t know she was about to take me out there, by the way.
She just thought she was reading a poem out of a giant, old fairytale book. But she didn’t realize the power contained in those words and the way she read them. Yeah, you combine that with my very active, imaginative brain, and let the transport begin.
Mr. Eugene Field was the writer who penned (that’s right, they literally penned articles, poems, and stories back then) the poem, “Wynken Blynken and Nod.” According to a blurb I read about him, he was “born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 2, 1850. Known for his humorous newspaper columns, he also wrote light verse for children.”
He only lived to be about 45 years old. But he made enough of an impression that the famous painter Maxfield Parrish created a very beautiful painting based on Wynken Blynken and Nod. And you know what would make a great Christmas present for someone you care about, or even yourself? Well, a nearly 2′ x 2 1/2′ print of it at that link for a very decent price. If you haven’t seen any Maxfield Parrish, do yourself a favor and check it out. It would probably look great on that one wall you’ve been thinking about.
Anyway…
I don’t wanna give away the ending of the poem. So I’ll just leave you with these lines from it that describe the experience for me that special evening. And after that I’ll share a rhyme I wrote about the feelings.
(from Wynken Blynken and Nod)
So shut your eyes while Mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea…
And here’s the Tony rhyme…
Read Me A Story
Read me a story where the good guy wins…
And sails the ocean on a blue whale’s fins…
Where dreams come true and the world is right.
Read me a story and leave on the light.
Take me places where I’ve never been.
Open windows, and let the stars shine in.
I can see it all inside my head.
All I need tonight is a story read.
Read me a story, and I’ll fall asleep
And dream of mountain goats and bighorn sheep
That pull my wagon through a dream-filled night.
Read me a story and leave on the light. © 2013 TF
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