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Raju the Pink Cow
March 15, 2011
by Liz Yepsen
Raju couldn’t sleep.
He tossed and he turned,
For inside his mind,
Excitement–it burned.
Tomorrow, Sankranthi!
To celebrate Sun.
Of all of the holidays,
This was the best one.
Tomorrow the cows
would all wake up at nine,
they’d yawn and they’d stretch
and get into a line.
The line would stretch hours
and go so so SLOW.
The closer he was
The more slow it’d go.
After all of that time
and one very hard wait
Raju would get colored
Like sunshine–with paint!
The farmers and children
colored cows, every one!
They colored the cows
bright yellow, like sun.
Because Sankranthi meant sunshine
and the end of the rains,
and a good growing season
for the farms on the plains.
Somewhere in those thoughts
of the grains he would reap
and the bountiful harvest
Raju fell asleep.
He dreamt only a little
and nighttime flew by.
When raju awoke
the sun was quite high.
He rushed out of bed!
No one was around
No brothers or sisters
No cows to be found.
Quick, to the field!
What a rush he was in –
on THIS, of all mornings,
How could he sleep in?
When he got there he saw
the line stretched a long way.
What horrible luck!
He’d be waiting all day!
So Raju, determined,
waited his turn
while the others went dancing
his jealousy burned.
He tried to breath slowly,
and not tap his toes.
How he hated to wait,
but so waiting goes.
How he hated to wait,
but so waiting goes.
And when it was his turn,
He jumped up with glee-
He could hardly hold still
How pretty he’d be!
When the painting was through
and Raju’s turn was done,
his farmer dismissed him,
to prance in the sun.
He burst out of the shade,
through the feild he went tearing.
All the cows turned to look–
All the cows turned to look–
what could he be wearing?
As he slowed from a run
one by one their jaws dropped.
They were laughing at him!
And there Raju stopped.
He noticed it then-
he couldn’t quite think.
How could this have happened?
He was painted bright PINK!
They were starting to laugh now,
Do SOMETHING he thought!
But what? His head shouted.
Raju was distraught.
As he rose to his feet
He knew what he’d say
Because this was Sankranthi!
This was his day!
Raju straigtened up
on all fours, he stood proud.
Pink Raju cleared his throat
and addressed the cow crowd.
I’m pink and I like it!
like the flowers of spring.
The Gods will still love me
And harvests they’ll bring.
It was quiet one moment
or maybe just two
but when loud cheering started
the quiet was through.
The cows cheered for Raju
and the end of monsoons;
they cheered for the bounty
and fat harvest moons.
Thats not the whole story
of Raju the Pink Cow
Thats just one Sankranthi
But thats all for now.
Charley the Painter
November 29, 2009
by Liz Yepsen and Steven McGaughey
“Mother come look!”
Charley yelled loudly,
“I’ve finished my painting!”
He stood by it proudly.
“Charley, it’s perfect!”
his mother exclaimed.
“We’ll hang it right up,
I’ll go have it framed!”
The painting was bright!
And, though there were lots,
His mom hung it up
In the best of all spots.
And the neighbors came over,
To look and admire-
The blues like the ocean,
The reds like a fire.
One neighbor said, “Charley
This work couldn’t lose!
You must enter a contest,
Any one that you choose.”
Charley’s mother thought yes!
This painting’s quite pretty.
So they wrapped it right up
Stamped ‘first class’ to the city.
They waited and waited,
(And waiting’s not fun)
They waited for news
To see if they’d won.
They waited through storms
Through rain and dark haze;
They waited up nights
For almost three days.
Then Wednesday it came!
The news—there it was.
The mail finally came
As mail finally does.
He’d won the contest!
He won, the whole show!
Charley was to be famous,
To the museum he’d go!
He packed up his toys,
His paints and his brush
And off to the museum!
He went in a rush.
And oh! How they cheered
For Charley that day!
He stood up so happy
As they shouted ‘hooray!’
But deep down inside
Charley, he knew,
Something just wasn’t right
This just wouldn’t do.
He’d tried to tell mother,
But she was nowhere around.
He tried telling the judge
But he couldn’t be found.
Charley had to do something,
The right thing, right away.
He knew what to do,
But not what to say.
So he found a big box,
And climbed to the top,
And then to the crowd, he hollered out,
STOP!
As soon as he’d said it
Silence fell on the crowd
And he wished that he hadn’t,
Hadn’t been so, well, loud.
But he had their attention!
He glanced over at mother.
He took a deep breath,
And then took another.
“I… I didn’t paint this.
I’ve lied to you all”
These paintings aren’t mine,
These ones on the wall.”
The whispers came flying!
Could it be true?
And a man with a dark hat
Cried out, “Then who?”
Charley stuttered a moment
And looked the crowd over.
“It was him,” he pointed,
“It was my dog, Rover.”
What is this? What a shock!
Could a dog paint this stuff?
They all turned to Rover
Who said only ‘Ruff!’
And it was in fact true,
It was Rover who’d done it.
They gave him the trophy—
It was he that had won it.
When it came time to go home
Charley hung his small head.
“I’m sorry I lied”
To Rover he said.
Once safe back at home
To the beach they did race.
Charley hugged his dog Rover
And Rover licked Charley’s face.
He forgave Charley right then
As they played on the shore –
For Rover liked painting
But he loved Charley more.
“Keisha’s Lightning (Bugs)”
June 2, 2008
by Liz Yepsen
Keisha loved BUGS!
All kinds, even worms
(Even if Dad did say that all worms have germs).
She did not even care
That her friends thought them icky–
She loved hunting bugs,
Crawly, creepy, or sticky!
But her favorite bug
Came out only at night.
And hunting that bug, well,
It must be done right.
See first, Keisha’d say,
You find a big jar,
The jar must have a lid
Or you won’t get too far.
You put some small holes,
Maybe five, in the top,
Don’t put more than seven,
(Somewhere you must stop.)
Then, if you ate all your peas,
And dad said it was fine,
You’d go to the Backyard
to wait, for some time.
Then slowly, they’d come–
Lit up, like small lights
They come out all summer
On almost all nights.
They’d twinkle and dance
Turn off and on-
Keisha’d dance too,
Out there on the lawn.
If she wanted to catch one,
She’d quietly crouch
And then, when the light came,
Keisha would POUNCE!
She’d twirl and she’d swoop!
Scoop them up in the jar.
The bug would light up
Like her own little star.
She’d catch ten or twelve
And observe them all closely.
She gave them some grass
But they’d fly around, mostly.
Then she’d let them all go,
Start all over again
Scooping bugs, one by one,
Till she had again ten.
Sometimes she would lie down
To watch the bugs come and go
While behind them the stars
Would quietly glow.
She wished she could stay there
And watch them all night,
But a girl without bedtime,
Well, that wouldn’t be right.
So when Dad flickered the lights,
First off, and then on,
Keisha would go in,
while the bugs danced till dawn.
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