(Author's Note: I wrote these verses in the early 1980s for my then-four-year-old niece, Christina Susanna Richards. She was an adorable tot, with many affectionate relatives, and could easily empathize with her counterpart here. She's now the mother of two lovely girls, whom she hugs at every opportunity.)
CHRISTINA SUSANNA
© Amie Hill 2017; All Rights Reserved
If you're interested in turning this
into an actual book, please contact me at
Christina Susanna went out
for a walk
On a very hot day, and sat
down on a rock
To rest for a moment and take
off her shoes
And let the wind tickle her
ten little toes,
And as she sat sunning, she
heard a loud snuffle,
Along came a bear with a
sniff and a shuffle,
She didn't act frightened
(though she might have been),
But smiled politely; the bear
gave a grin,
"My goodness!" he
chuckled, "Will you look who's here!
Christina Susanna! May I hug
you, my dear?"
And before she could speak,
she was swooped up inside
The furriest hug of her life.
"Oh!" she cried,
"Please excuse me, dear
Bear" (being very polite)
"But there's fur in my
mouth and your teeth are so white
And so sharp that I fear if
you smile too wide
Some child might (by accident)
end up inside,
Oh you are holding tight and there isn't much air,
It's a very hot day to be hugged by a bear!"
She said this so nicely
(though squeezed all the while)
That the bear set her down on
the rock with a smile,
Saying "Thank you so much!
Oh, it does a bear good!"
And he sang as he skipped
down the path to the wood:
THE BEAR'S SONG
You can try hugging flowers
or cuddling trees
Till your elbows are tired
and covered with bees,
A rabbit is cozy and so is a
squirrel
But nothing beats hugging a sweet little girl!
"Oh my," sighed
Christina, wiping her face,
"My clothes are all
mussed and my hair's a disgrace,
It's sort of a bother, but
one should be kind,
And if hugs make him happy, I
guess I don't mind."
So she went on her way with
her shoes in her hand,
On that very hot day, she
went further than planned,
She followed the path for
what have might have been hours,
Then lay down to rest in a
patch of cool flowers,
Her eyes had just closed (for
the air was so sweet
With the flowers for a bed
and the wind on her feet)
When she suddenly heard the
swift whisper and whirr
Of a hundred small wings, and
all hovering 'round her,
And what did she see when she
opened her eyes?
The shimmer of hundreds of
bright butterflies!
Who cried with one voice:
"Why, good heavens above!
Christina Susanna! May we
kiss you, my love?"
And before she could answer a
yes or a no
She was covered in kisses
from noggin to toe,
And each tiny kiss like a
drop in a shower
Was as sticky as honey (from
previous flowers).
And each was as light as the
touch of a breeze
But it tickled like
mouse-breath; she tried not to sneeze;
"Oh!" thought
Christina, "Now what shall I do?
Oh my dear butterflies, it's
so friendly of you,
And your kisses are sweet as
the dawn or the dew
But I think any moment I'm
going to...A-CHOO!!!!!
The butterflies leaped in a
glimmering crowd
With a silvery laugh like the
fur on a cloud,
They fluttered and flustered and
flew in a ring,
Poised like a rainbow and
started to sing:
THE BUTTERFLIES' SONG
You may kiss a red rose with
a jolly great smack
And phlox and snapdragons
will even kiss back,
Day-lily's delightful and daisies
enthrall,
But
kissing Christinas is sweetest of all!
And off they all flew with a
whisk and a whirl
leaving behind them a sticky
small girl,
"Oh my," said
Christina, "My face is a mess!
My ears are all icky, and look at my dress!
It might sound unkind when
they all mean so well
But I sometimes wish no one
would kiss me at all!"
"Oh hush!" cried a
voice in a terrified moan
From a hole burrowed under a
moss-covered stone,
"You don't know what you're saying!!!!" and out crawled a chap
As sad and as ugly as rats in
a trap.
He was nervous as lizards and
crawly as flies,
With a shape like a toad and
enormous sad eyes,
Wearing clothes of
bee-bramble and pelt-of-baboon,
And he stunk like a swamp at
the dark of the moon.
Christina jumped up in a
fright at the sight
But she didn't run off (being
brave and polite)
For the creature was weeping;
his eyes were so wet
She could see he was really
and truly upset.
"You don’t know what you’re saying!" he whispered in fear,
"Don't you know what might happen if someone
should hear?
"Why, just look at me!
I'm a shame and a mess
Disgusting and ugly; would
you ever guess
“That I once was my mama and
papa's delight?
All curly and rosy and sweet
as sunlight?
Such a lovely Elf-baby no one
could resist,
No sooner than seen, I was
bound to be kissed
And snuggled and fondled and
'Isn't he sweet?'
And tickled and cuddled from
bonnet to feet,
“The Uncles and Aunties they
all had their turn,
Making such silly noises my
tummy would churn,
When I cried, they’d surround
me with coos of concern
And give me MORE kisses; why
wouldn’t they learn?
“So then I grew angry, and young as I was,
I turned the air blue with
the force of my fuss,
'Don't hold me don't touch
me!’ I bellowed and bawled,
'I won't let you hug me or
kiss me at all!
“If I could I'd forbid you on
pain of great pain
To kiss me or hug me or touch
me again!'
At that there was silence so
sudden and strong
That I knew that my fuss had
gone terribly wrong,
“Then into the room blew a
kind of a fog
Like the murkiest wind off
the muckiest bog,
The Elf-folk drew back and
shivered in fear,
And all I could do was sit silent
and stare
“As in slid a fellow all
slickened with slime
With eyes of bright yellow
and teeth of the same,
Wearing snake-belly slippers
and bracelets of bone
And he laughed with a sound
like a hole in a stone,
“And hissed in my face 'Don't
you worry, my pet,
If it's hugs you don't want,
then it's hugs you won't get,
Yes, and kisses are sticky
and drooly, it's true,
So no one, from now on, will
want to kiss you.'
“Then he coiled in a circle
and made a decree
Horrid and fearsome in every
degree
That from fear of great fear
and on pain of great pain
From hugging or kissing me
all must refrain,
“Then, chortling and vile as
a clog in a drain
Grinning with malice and
reeking of bane,
He humped like a hedgehog,
hissed like a cat,
and disappeared into the
night like a bat.
“And from that day to this,
I've been left all alone
With no hugs or kisses, how
wretched I've grown!
Lumpy and bumpy and lonely
and damp,
With skin like a lizard and
breath like a swamp,
So please watch what you say in this magical place!"
Then he turned to run off --
and fell flat on his face.
(“Oh dear!” thought
Christina, “A terrible tale!
And to fall down so badly on
top of it all!”
She wished in her heart she
could help this poor Elf
And suddenly knew what she’d
wish for herself)
The creature rose quickly,
not seeming much hurt,
But his poor ugly nose was
all covered with dirt,
He took a deep breath, and he
squinched up his eyes,
But before he could cry, he
was greatly surprised
By a quick little wipe with a
dainty bandanna
And a kiss on the nose from
Christina Susanna!
"A KISS!!!" he
cried out in both joy and alarm,
And rose in the air like a
butterfly swarm,
His face grew as lovely as
any small girl's,
His hair twisted into
adorable curls,
His cloak of dark brambles
flared out like a bell,
And burst into blossoms
delicious to smell,
He wriggled all over, then
stood slim and tall
As a small elf can stand, and
not ugly at all.
He looked himself over, and,
quivering with joy,
Hugged Christina so tightly
she squeaked like a toy,
She hugged him right back,
then she kissed him again,
And they danced down the path
with a whoop and a grin.
So Christina went home with
her shoes in her hand,
Smiling and humming and
feeling just grand,
And to this very day she
remembers that Elf
And the lesson she learned
just by being herself:
That if someone is sulky and
sullen and shy,
And lumpy and grumpy and
won't meet your eye,
and scowly and growly and
kind of a mess,
Sometimes all they need is a
hug and a kiss.
And deep in the woods, in a
house made of flowers,
Hugged by sweet ivy and
kissed by rain-showers,
Beloved by his neighbors, a
certain small Elf
Sits sometimes for hours and
sings to himself:
THE ELF'S SONG
"Oh, flowers are sweet and their honey is sweeter
"Oh, flowers are sweet and their honey is sweeter
But hugging and kissing are
sweeter than either,
And sweeter than blossom of
plum or banana
Is kissing and hugging
Christina Susanna!”
And to finish my tale, here's a pointer for you,
Bears, Uncles and Aunties, and Butterflies, too,
It seems that, although they don't know what they're missing,
Some creatures are not used to hugging and kissing,
A tiger, for instance, is easily surprised,
And likewise a troll; so a word to the wise,
If you're drawn to a being you might rub the wrong way,
"Would you like a hug?" is a fine thing to say,
(But in matters of hugging or kissing an Elf,
You'll just have to figure that out for yourself).
 |
| Christina Susanna being hugged by her big brother Kip. |
 |
| Christina Susanna being smooched by daughters Kyla and KK. |
