TSC: At the WG









2 comments:

Posatko said...

There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

-S.S.

Pirooz M. Kalayeh said...

That's a good one. I would like to have one of that guy's books. His records were pretty good too. I had no idea he got his start at Playboy Magazine. I read his bio the other day though. It's true. He did comics in the Army. Then he did them for Playboy. He went from penniless to his own suite in the Playboy mansion. After that, he kept recording music. He put out a bunch of records. Someone tried to convince him to do children's books. He didn't want to. He didn't think he could. But they convinced him. The Giving Tree was what came out. At first, the publisher thought it was too developed for kids, and too simple for adults, but it rocked as we now know. Then he wrote a bunch more books. He did some more books. He did a couple plays. Did some movies and movie soundtracks. Then he died. He refused to do interviews. He died alone in Florida of a massive heart attack. They didn't find him for a week. That's it. That's our story of him.

Of course, I have another...

Shelby was born. He was a kind child. He did not take the Lord's name in vain. He did not give his mother undo pain. He did his chores and walked to school everyday.

When it got too hot, he would ask for an ice cream, and because he was not a bad child, his mother would get him the ice cream.

He spent days in school doodling on papers. They were pictures of Mrs. Albuagh, or Miss Carpenter, or even the short and pudgy Mr. Jameson.

[insert picture]

The kids and teachers alike liked his drawings (even though secretly some were slightly offended); they encouraged him to continue, and so, Shelby, still that kind boy at heart, continued his drawings into adulthood.

The drawings were also happy that Shelby continued to make them and change them and give them better and looser strokes and show them love and be with them. The drawings gave Shelby a gift when he went to war, and let him draw them all he wanted.

[insert picture]

It was a generous gift. Shel, (for that is what he called himself now), enjoyed making the drawings, and he was happy to love them and care for them. They, in turn, loved and cared for Shelby (for that is what they still called him), and made things easy for him, by offering him the things he wanted.

"Drawings I am a man now. I need women," Shelby would say.

"Okay," the drawings said.

"Drawings I need some money. I am hungry."

"Okay."

Whatever Shel asked, the drawings provided. They loved him and he loved them.

[insert picture]

Then one day, Shel asked a strange thing. The drawings did not know how to make that happen. They did not know if they should.

"Who will draw us?" they worried. "Who will smile at us and change us?"

To this, Shel laughed, (for he was an old man now), and he reassured the drawings, that someone else would make them and change them and love them like he did.

"But who?" they clamored.

"Look around," he said.

The drawings peered from their pages, and saw boys and girls, men and women, every shape, color, and size, holding them and loving them, and (for a select few) changing them too.

[insert picture "Pirooz drawing over Giving Tree"]

The drawings were happy, and saw that it was true. They kissed Shelby on his nose, and told him what to do. To make a big drawing the biggest he could make, with a door, and a guitar, and the great Finger Lakes.

"Okay, now you can go," they said.

And so, Shelby did, without a sound, open the door and step inside

And the drawings sang, and the children sang, and the fish sang, and I sang:

Thanks for all the fish, and hats, and jumbalaya stew. Thanks for the meat pies, the glazed cakes, and girls named Sue. Thanks for being good and bad and smiling and all the things you do. Thank you Shelby for being just like you.