Wandering Wendy

Wendy was born in a wonderland
Or a wander-land if you please
For she was often known to go wandering
In the midst of the willow trees

From just a wee lass she’d heard whispers
Of wizards and witches and such
Who waited for children to whisk them away
And feed them to werewolves for lunch

Not one to wilt from such long-winded tales
Or whine from the thorns that will prick
She waved off the warnings from well-meaning folks 
And wandered off into the thick

She followed a wheel-rutted path that led in
And soon heard a warble or trill
Perhaps just the wind or a trick of the mind
A wren or a whippoorwill

With strong-willed suspicion she continued her way
Walking as fast as she could
When she felt something wicked was watching
From the darkness so deep in the woods

Without any warning a witch did appear
Face withered and bleached white as snow 
Her thin wrinkled neck wore the teeth of a wolf
A wart graced the tip of her nose

She stared at young Wendy with black wrathful eyes
Winked and then gave her a sneer
I’ll grant you three wishes to test your desires
So you’d better wish wisely, my Dear
For if you are greedy or show weakness of will 
And wish for more wishes or gold
The test will be over and the wager you’ll lose
As the winner I’ll be taking your soul

Wendy wasn’t one to get worried or fraught
And was always well-mannered and nice
So she weighed all her options like a good Welshman will
For to wilt would be too high a price

Here are my wishes so please listen well
I’ll promise I won’t wax or wane
I wish you were a young child just ‘bout my age
With beauty all seek to attain

I wish for you wisdom in all of your ways
That you no more cause children to weep
Wherever you roam all will seek out your words
For the good you will sow you will reap

My last wish is selfish and wrong I suspect
Though wistful I must go ahead
I wish we would never remember this day
When we wake we’ll be sisters instead

A whirlwind of lights washed the darkness away
White heat from the flash warmed her face
When she opened her eyes the old witch was no more
A mere child stood there in her place

Wendy gave the young girl a wide smile 
Let’s be going was all she would say
Our mother will surely be worried by now
I think we should call it a day
-Kenneth Goorabian

Less Talk-a-Lot, More Chocolate

“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.”

-John Q. Tullius

“Chocolate’s a lot like sex. I always finish it too soon.”

-Kenneth Goorabian

If veggies were made of chocolate

I’d chew them up in bunches

Every meal would be filled with glee

Dinners, breakfasts and lunches

I wouldn’t hide from lima beans

Squash I’d gobble down

I’d roll in fields of broccoli

All covered in gooey brown

And if offered cauliflower

I’ll admit, I used to hate

If veggies were made of chocolate

I’d gladly fill my plate

Kenneth Goorabian

Leaping Larry Leoni

Larry Luigi Leoni

A leaper extraordinaire

Discovered he loved playing leap-frog

On a leap from his Grandma’s stairs

He launched himself off of ladders

Building his leaping strength

Then constructed a lovely launching pad

To increase his leaping length

He‘d warm up leaping fences

Then strike a handsome pose

While leisurely licking a lollipop

Before landing on his toes

He mastered leaping autos

Then leapt a Greyhound bus

Before too long Luigi

Was causing a local fuss

One day a man called Lewis

A jumper from way out west

Challenged young Larry Luigi

To determine whose leaping was best

They started by leaping four houses

Then a lopsided circus tent

They leapt over rivers, streams and lakes

Lifting higher with ever ascent

They leapt over ten locomotives

Then on to a forest of pines

They leapt over fields of white daisies

Then acres of lemons and limes

They leapt over mountains and valleys

Hurdled a large flock of geese

The leaping was getting out of control

They both knew the leaping must cease

But Larry had never been lazy

And Leoni’s weren’t known to fail

His long-jumping title in jeopardy

He refused to let Lewis prevail

Larry took three long steps backwards

Gave Lewis a lavish bow

Not one for long-winded, drawn-out goodbyes

He lastly saluted the crowd

Larry ran like a leopard

Then let out a warrior’s cry

With a lick and a promise he leapt from the ground

In the air Leaping Larry did fly

Higher and higher went Larry

Passed a lavender hot air balloon

An orbiting satellite he left behind

Soon Larry was passing the moon

The folks left below began cheering

Jumper Lewis was merely forlorn

Streaking ‘cross the heavens with a long tail of light

A comet named Larry was born

© 2015 Kenneth Goorabian

Rambling Roger Rukowski

Rambling Roger Rukowski

Was a ragtag man indeed

He rode the rails, telling tall, tall tales

From Rhode Island to Tennessee

He hailed from Reno, Nevada

But had relatives as far as Quebec

A cousin named Dolly who lived up in Raleigh

The rest he just can’t recollect

Now, Roger always relished adventure

And the rails represented a chance

So before the spring rain, he hopped on a train

With a rucksack and not a dime in his pants

Some called him a rag tag Tom Sawyer

A penniless Renaissance man

‘Cause he traveled the road by a personal code

Don’t return to where you first began

He loved to recount the old stories

He was known for his clever retorts

Though he’ll rarely retract, what he swears are the facts

But to laughter he’ll often resort

He’d said he’d been a rodeo cowboy

Rode the back of a reluctant horse

But he fooled more than one, so the best rule of thumb

Don’t believe ‘ol Rukowski of course

So if he says he was a reindeer wrangler

Taught Elvis to rock and to roll

Invented the refrigerator

Roller skated to the North and South Poles

Repaired a few heads at Mount Rushmore

Or taught the first Rottweiler to howl

Remember to wink, or despite what you think

He might rent you the Panama Canal

© 2015 Kenneth Goorabian