Ah, come here, my little one,

Let me tuck you in your bed,

And I will tell you stories,

That will fill your sleepy head.

 

Tales of royal princesses,

And regal kings and queens,

Fearless knights on steeds of white,

And dragons, mean and lean.

 

I'll tell you of fair damsels,

Locked up in tower rooms,

Awaiting princes' kisses,

To save them from their doom.

 

Then I will paint a picture,

Of the vines that twine and crawl,

With blushing, bursting blossoms,

Up along those tower walls.

 

The sweet perfume from all those blooms,

Will soothe each maiden there,

Until each lady has been saved,

By a valiant prince who dared.

 

Next I'll describe a countryside,

With a meadow, lush and green,

Where fairies duck 'neath buttercups,

To keep from being seen.

 

But ... if you listen carefully,

You will hear their bell-like songs,

Together with the nymphs and sprites,

That sing in nearby ponds.

 

This beautiful, musical meadow,

Is a magical place to be,

But you can only go there,

If you dream along with me.

 

For I alone know where it is,

Just where this meadow lies,

So listen to me, darlin',

And close your sleepy eyes.

 

Then I'll take you to a forest,

Upon a mountainside,

Where brownies, pixies, elves, and gnomes

Behind the tree trunks hide.

 

Oh, how they will fascinate you,

With their taunting, haunting ways,

They will tease you and deceive you,

Then they'll laugh ... and run away.

 

So chase them ... chase them ... if you wish,

Though you will never nab one,

Unparalleled, they go pell-mell,

And you'll not ever grab one.

 

But what fun to run amongst them,

While playing hide-and-seek,

With fairy music in your ears,

And elfin footprints 'neath your feet.

 

What fun to run back through the meadow,

To where the mighty towers loom,

And to climb their winding, twining vines,

High up into a maiden's room.

 

Then to rescue her courageously,

Just like the knights of long ago,

And to bravely slay some dragons, too,

Because you're so magnifico.

 

So, dream on and on, my little one,

And if you keep your eyes closed tight,

Whimsical scenes of mythical things

Will be with you through the night.

 

Virginia (Ginny) Ellis

Copyright July 2007