Once upon a time in a land far away,
There lived a young girl who forgot how to play.
Her friends would be skipping or running a race,
Whilst she was alone with a frown on her face.
That’s right, whilst they were running around,
This poor little girl was wearing a frown.
What can be done? What should someone say…
To a young girl who forgets how to play?
She’d watch all her friends with her back to the wall,
Chasing each other, kicking a ball.
Shouting and screaming and jumping around,
But she was content with not making a sound.
It’s not as if some of her friends didn’t try,
To help her, but she just declined with a sigh.
Even at home her mummy and dad,
Noticed that their little girl was quite sad.
All through the day, she would always ignore,
A ring of the bell, a knock on the door,
A call from her dad, “Your friends are all here!”
She’d turn around quietly and soon disappear.
Even when it’s sunny, the sky’s always grey,
For a young girl who forgets how to play.
On Friday morning her teacher took,
Her down to the library to take out a book.
He noticed her smile was on upside down
And found her the poem that you’re reading now.
At first she resisted – “Don’t need it! No Way!”
But this little girl needed help with her play.
She started by reading a little a time,
And slowly began to follow the rhyme.
She read it aloud and she read it in bed,
She even committed it all to her head!
She recited it walking to school with her mum,
Her quickest of times was a minute and one!
She wrote it all down at the end of each day,
Then one sunny morning, she felt ready to play.
Oh what an emotion! Oh what a delight!
To feel as a child who is happy and bright!
To laugh with good friends and to chatter and shout.
To smile and to dance, to go chasing about.
To dress up and make up and sing and pretend,
To hope all the playing won’t come to an end.
It didn’t take long before an enquiry was made:
“Aren’t you the young lady who seldomly played?”
Her answer was honest, “I think I would say,
I’m the girl who forgot to forget how to play”.
© James Cappuccini 2014