There was once, accross a street
A little boy who wouldn't eat
No matter how much mama tried
The baby did his best to hide!
The mama wouldn't give up so fast,
She thought and thought, and then at last,
She came up with a clever ruse
And put the nearby wall to use
With evening sunlight on her palms
She swiftly moved her skillful arms,
In a way I thought was, oh! So smart,
To make some lovely shadow art!
She moved her dainty fingers five
To make the wall come alive
With stories, that were ripe and old
And those, unheard and untold
The tales of creatures far away,
And those of mighty palms that sway
The tales of fishes that swim through seas,
And those of shadow birds and bees
The boy watched with twinkling eyes,
And little did he realize
That while he listened to all she said
He finished up all his soup and bread!
But evening sun that shone so bright
Was soon replaced by soft twilight
While the sun sank down below
The shadows too, vanished just so!
"Do not leave, my shadow friends,
I do not want this tale to end"
The baby said with a little sigh,
"Please don't go, or I shall cry!"
Mama hugged the baby tight,
While they stood in the fading light
"Oh my darling, please don't cry,
Oh! Look there, at the beautiful sky!"
And right there, clad in vibrant hues,
The orange-reds and purple-blues,
Across the sky for over a mile,
Were clouds of every shape and style
A giant bear, on his honey- quest,
A tiny sparrow, in her nest,
All those forests with their trees,
All those butterflies, birds and bees!
All the baby's shadow friends,
Gone from the wall as evening ends
Were back again in sky as clouds,
To hear the baby laugh out loud!
-Madhuri
