A Small Adventure in Verse

 (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 

aahill@sonic.net

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

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.