“The Wishing Tree”

[The freshness of this poem never ceases to amaze me; Barbie Angell here has written something with gestures as clear as a folk song or a nursery rhyme; it’s simply beautiful.]

The Wishing Tree

Two hundred years ago
in a land so far away,
there was a legend told
to the children one spring day.

The wizard of the town
told the story of the sky.
He said the moon’s a crystal ball
with one all-seeing eye.

He said there is a fence
with a tree along the side
and the moon had seen a girl,
who sat beneath and cried.

And the moon, he felt compassion
for the girl beneath the tree.
He cried a lonely tear for her,
which fell into the sea.

The tear looked like a star
shooting in the night.
The young girl gazed upon it
as it fell far from her sight.

And aloud she made a wish,
and the moon above her smiled,
and he granted her that wish,
for her faith was as a child’s.

And ever since that night,
the moon has watched that tree,
so if you ever sit beneath,
please make a wish for me.

Barbie Angell
© 2012
 

As you have certainly noticed, there’s a link to Barbie Angell’s book of children’s poems, Roasting Questions, in the sidebar. Barbie is justifiably excited about this book, which I can tell you is simply beautiful: Barbie also illustrated it & did the layout work. It’s a labor of love, & that truly shows.

I share Barbie’s excitement; since I first got to know Barbie, I recognized the uniqueness in her work. Her poetry has been compared with Shel Silverstein’s—an apt comparison, as far as comparison’s go, but Barbie’s voice is completely her own, & I believe she’s made great strides in her art as she went thru the process of composing the poems & drawing the illustrations in Roasting Questions, & also in preparing the book for publication. The book receives my high recommendation, & it really is for kids “from one to 92,” just as the song says.

The book’s actual publication date will be late this fall—it’s hoped in time for the holiday season!—so please consider following that link (or the ones in this text) & placing a pre-order. There’s also a Kickstarter-type sponsorship page, where you can get extra goodies for modest donations. Her publisher, Grateful Steps from Asheville, North Carolina, is a non-profit that does marvelous work, & I also wholeheartedly endorse them.

Finally, please stay tuned, because on Thursday we’ll all get a proper introduction to Barbie Angell, learning about her life & her work!