Fanciful Seussical Ponderings

[duchessashley]

Hey, all!

I did a writing exercise earlier today that turned out something fun. Using a quote from a cult movie, I had 10 minutes to write whatever came to mind. In honor of the great Dr. Seuss's birthday, my 10 minutes became this:

I would like, if I may, to take you on a strange journey.
You need not apply - no contracts, no attorneys.
The road is not long, but there is no map.
Off with the lights, lock the door - did you feed the cat?
We'll begin, if you will, by leaping out of your head,
Beyond pages of fairy tales you've read in your bed,
Past the seas and the stars, past worlds you have known.
Hold tight to my hand - it's no trip to make alone!
Across moons and ringed planets and fantastic star clusters,
Whizzing fast through asteroid belts, shining brightly with luster,
Galaxies, novas, fantastic dwarf stars,
Kinda makes you forget all about Jupiter and Mars.
While the journey seems far, 'tis not long at all,
Just a matter of dreaming beyond your four little walls.
So, don't pack your bags for this fun little ride -
Instead, open your mind and let your imagination outside!

I don't claim to be a poet, let alone a good one. But this was silly and whimsical and I wanted to share it. Enjoy!!

[Jeff Gerke]

This is awesome, Duchess. Perfect for this site.

Jeff

[duchessashley]

Thank you! What a kind compliment!

I enjoy writing this kind of poetry. While working at Disneyland, I wrote a whole series in this fashion for a friend of mine. We always got a good laugh from the different poems! I hope this one at least provides a smile.

[duchessashley]

Today, I was updating my blogger profile and wanted a new random question. I got something along the lines of, "The children are waiting! Quick, tell them the story of the bald frog and the wig."

Well, I created a magnificent (okay, not so MAGNIFICENT) fable, but the field requirements were under 400 characters. Honestly! So...here is the story:

Once upon a time, there lived a very unhappy frog named Dude. Oh, he could hop and ribbit with the rest of the frogs. But he dreamt of long, flowing tresses that would dust his shoulders as he jumped across the lily pads.
One mysteriously foggy morning, as Dude was fly-hunting, he noticed a shadowy figure on the edge of the creek. Not a dumb frog, Dude ignored the figure and went about his fly-hunting business.
"Dude..." the figure called.
Dude's eyes popped wide with fright. The shadowy figure knew his name!
"Dude, I've been looking for you."
Dude contemplated, ribbited, and contemplated some more. If the figure knew his name and was looking for him, could it really be THAT bad?
Dude hopped over to the edge of the creek and ribbited.The shadowy figure knelt down and held out a old, crusty palm. She was no beauty, but she seemed kind.
"Dude, if you kiss me, you will be granted one wish."
All Dude could think about was long wavy locks of hair down his bumpy green back. Only a kiss? he thought. Why not?
His little froggy lips puckered outward and the crusty hand lifted Dude to her withered cheek. He lightly pressed his lips to her wrinkled skin.
The shadowy figure started to shake and quake! Dude didn't know what to do. Forgetting about his wish, he hopped out of the old woman's hand and back into the safety of his creek bed.
Millions of sparkles surrounded the old lady, spinning her and lifting her from the ground. Dude couldn't believe his froggy eyes, for right there in front of him, the old woman was transformed into a beautiful fairy princess. Oh, she has lovely hair, Dude thought as the now young woman brushed the last few sparkles from her radiant pink dress.
She bestowed him with a smile that set the entire glade aglow. "Dude, what a kind and gentlemanly frog you have proved to be."
Dude ribbited.
"I shall return the favor by granting your one wish."
With all his heart, Dude wished for a full head of hair. He focused his thoughts and ribbited as mightily as he could. And right in the middle of his ribbit, he hiccuped.
The princess tilted her head. "Are you certain that is your one wish?"
Dude nodded eagerly, already imagining the other frogs ribbiting with envy over his shiny, lustrous locks.
The fairy princess sighed and waved her magic wand. "All right. Let it be so!"
THWUMP.
Everything went dark around Dude. He couldn't imagine what had happened. He wormed and squirmed and tried to find a way out of the darkness. Something was on top of him. With great effort, he was able to get free.
The lily pad was hairy! Oh, surely she hadn't heard the word "bed" when he ribbited "head," did she? He looked all around for the fairy princess, but she was gone.
Dude gingerly poked at the hair with his webbed toe. He found that the lily pad wasn't hairy at all, but that it was covered with a giant wig.
My hiccup, Dude remembered. My hiccup changed my wish!
Dude gathered up his giant wig and placed it on his back. He hopped to the bank of the creek where all the frogs made their homes. He ignored the froggy laughter as he sat the wig in the place he called his own. He climbed into his wig, rolled onto his back, and imagined hopping from lily pad to lily pad with his new hair breezing along his froggy shoulders as he basked in the sun. So it wasn't exactly what he wished for. But he would make it work.

The moral of the story?
Never hiccup when you make a wish.

P.S. Dude was a real frog. When I worked for Barnes & Noble in Minneapolis, we found a frog browsing the art section prior to opening the store. The folks at the Petco down the road donated froggy facilities. Instead of keeping him, we released him back into the froggy wild. I will always remember Dude. I'm glad I could honor his memory with a silly, but fun story!

[torainfor]

I wish I was an illustrator so I could paint the pictures that come into my head when I read this stuff!