I am a bird
In a cage
Locked away,
My yellow feathers
Seen by none.
I’m all alone,
The only one.
The walls are of conformity.
I can no longer fly free.
Every day,
They try to dye my feathers gray.
They tell me I should hide,
Ignore the light inside.
This cage is small and strong.
It tries to keep me down,
But I won’t ever fall;
My wings won’t brush the ground.
They’ll try to take my heart,
To bring me to the dark,
But I will always fight
And struggle for the light.
I’ll find the one
To let me out.
I can’t do this on my own,
But I won’t always be alone.
I know there’s someone out there
To help a bird like me,
But until I can find them,
I’ll stay here,
Caged
But free.
I am every curved wing,
The life of every gentle spring.
I am every drop of sun.
The moon and I are also one.
I am the clouds drifting by
And the leaves that cover up the sky
I am the cause of eagles' pride,
The confidence in horses' stride.
I am the spirit of rainy days
And the wind that chases clouds away.
I am rising sun and falling snow,
A peaceful place for you to go,
The world outside your window.
Do you believe in magic?
In worlds through wardrobe doors?
Do you believe in wizards' schools?
In good to evil wars?
I believe.
After all, what is logic to begin with?
The fundamental way things are,
Plain and simple,
But what if there's another logic?
What if things are fixed differently for others?
What if some things aren’t fixed at all?
What if anything is possible?
That’s the only logic.
My heart believes in magic.
My head believes it, too,
But deep deep down,
In both head and heart,
I know I'll never see it.
The closet holds no world for me.
There's nothing between platforms nine and ten.
I believe in magic,
But magic won't believe in me.
I have seen magic.
Oh, silly me!
I don't need the talking animals.
I can do without the spells.
I have seen magic—
The magic of a smile,
The magic of transfiguring tears,
And time’s own diamond vial.
I believe in fairy bells
That tinkle as we laugh,
In the vigorous dance of life,
And the beat to which we tap
I believe in worlds of words,
Pages that invite you in.
I believe in color and in light,
Where magic can begin.
I believe in magic,
The magic of my life.
I may never meet a unicorn
Or greet the mighty centaur,
But who’s to say
That they aren’t real?
Magic is real.
After all,
We're alive
And surrounded by magic
All the time.
From the moment she woke up, Abigail knew that this was not going to be an ordinary day. Then again, was any day ever ordinary? She allowed herself a few more minutes to soak in the warmth of her patterned pink comforter before opening one eye, then the other. She smelled the aroma of lavender that spilled out of the diffuser. She liked how the scent matched the purple curtains. The window shade was closed above the air conditioner and the colorful fairy lights surrounding it were not plugged in, but sunlight still peaked through to light up the room and dance on the off-white walls. The dresser along the right wall held Abigail’s art supplies and a large stack of books on top of it. On that same wall hung all of Abigail’s drawings and in that corner her dolls played. The other side of the room had a tall dresser with a backpack, a camera, and a guitar belonging to Abigail’s sister, who was waking up in the top bunk. Her dance mirror, framed in hundreds of photos, colored the wall and a giant stuffed sloth sat next to it.
Abigail rolled over and took her Bible off of her bedside shelf. She dutifully read a chapter of Luke, underlining several important verses.
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She mentally went through her list of things to do to get ready for the day as she picked out a floral dress and pink capris to wear. Several whiny voices drifted through the door crack from the living room as she dressed.
Oh, did you think this was the story of a perfect girl with a perfect life? Not quite. This is the story of Abby Rater and her crazy but wonderful family. More importantly, this is the story of God’s way of working in their lives.
____________________
As Abby smoothed a brush through her tangled bedhead, she looked over at her sister’s perfect hair. It was dark at the top where the dye had grown out, but everywhere else were waves of a lighter, almost golden, brown. Abby thought bangs looked awful on most people, but Kennedy could make them work. In fact, she could make anything work; everything about her looked perfect.She could be a model if she wanted to. Now look at the contrast between this and Abby’s frizzy mess, which she was now pulling into two tight braids.
Kennedy was bending to kiss Patches, who was napping in her usual spot on Abby’s bed. Kennedy loved cats, sometimes too much, according to all of the scratches on her hands. Macey was a timid little angel. She gave a friendly ‘Brrrroew!’ of greeting whenever she entered a room and she let anyone in the family do anything they wanted to her without so much as swattimg at them. She got scared of new people, though and hid well when visitors came.
Lets just say that Patches had more spunk. Abby liked that Patches had personality, and it likely added to her own bond with the cat. Since the day Patches was found, Abby had been her favorite. Patches made Abby’s bed her own, always there for comfort or cuddle. In return, Abby was often petting and cuddling to show her love. She was, however, careful not to smother like a certain older sister.
__________________
Kennedy threw on a hoodie and saved her extensive outfit styling for after breakfast as she turned on her phone, Abby’s virtual enemy. Kennedy was always staring at that screen texting friends, playing Roblox, watching YouTube, and who knew what else. The one and only good thing about Kennedy’s phone was music. Kennedy seemed to be full of music. She played guitar at church and danced to K-pop songs at home. Abby didn’t understand K-pop whatsoever (what’s the point of music if you can’t understand the words?) and she didn’t like the tunes much, either, but she knew that Kennedy liked it a lot so ultimately (though she would never say so out loud) Abby was glad that her sister had that. After all, her older sister was also her best friend and, when she put the phone down, Kennedy made a great one. The girls did practically everything together and there was nobody Abby liked better to laugh with than Kennedy.
____________________
In the living room ten minutes later, Abby found her four younger siblings. Mason, Maddy, and Benjamin were all watching a YouTube video of someone playing video games on the TV. They may have gotten out of bed earlier than she had, but they hadn’t gotten dressed yet and Abby knew that they hadn’t moved from the couch much.
Judging by the mess of toys, pillows, books, and baby wipes in the room, Gracie had been busy. She sat on the sill of the big triple window holding a bag of chips as big as herself. A smile showed in her dimpled cheeks and scrunched up nose. The morning sunlight came through the window and created a golden halo to surround Gracie’s curls.
“Are we still walking Tucker later?” Abby asked Mason as she shoved pillows and cracker wrappers aside to set a basket of clean laundry down on the long sectional couch.
“Sure,” Mason said happily. He held out his fist for their special handshake.
Tucker was the newest addition to the family, a seven month old hound from the ANNA Shelter. He wasn’t trained at all yet and had a tendency to annoy the rest of the family, but he really was sweet and loving despite it all. Abby and Mason tried to walk him every day to get him out of the house and teach him to behave.
Annie then trotted into the room with her ears perked up. Her tongue hung out of her mouth in what looked like a smile. “Yes, we’ll bring you, too, Annie,” Abby said, bending down to pet their well behaved dog.
“Aww, you’re such a good girl,” Mason cooed, giving Annie one of his signature hugs.
“Kitty kitty kitty!” Gracie squealed as she ran to the dog on her chubby legs.
“Benjamin, want to play Mario stuffed animals in our room?” Maddy was asking.
“Shuw,” Benjamin consented and they scurried off, Maddy humming a tune as she made it up. Maddy was like Kennedy with her love of music, but in several ways she was much more like Abby. She was just as fun and quirky, she said some surprisingly thoughtful things, and somehow they just seemed to come from the same dreamland.
Like Kennedy and Abby, Maddy and Benjamin did nearly everything together and were constantly laughing hysterically about nothing. They were “best buds”. Maddy was the sassy boss and Benjamin the quiet follower. He was very quiet when he wasn’t crying. He did cry somewhat often, but that was the price of his sweet, sensitive heart. It was well worth it.
Abby was folding (and wishing she could fit into) Maddy’s unicorn shirt when Mom and Dad came in from the back deck. Dad was discussing a trucking job that he had applied for. This job had better hours than he was currently working at FedEx so he could provide for the family and have time to see them, which was what he cared about most in life. Mom was listening to him -- she was great at listening -- while putting bread in the toaster, holding Tucker on his leash, and helping Abby with the laundry. It may have been summer vacation and a Saturday no less, but the parents were still working hard and making it look easy.
“I’m sorry, do you need help with anything?” Dad asked Mom as she brought a stack of plates to the table.
“I think I’ve got it,” Mom said with a certain brightness in her tone that matched her smile.
“Let me help you, woman!” Dad exclaimed loudly in his pretend old man voice. The kids all giggled and Dad continued. “Back in my day you accepted some darned help!” The children continued to laugh as they gathered around the scuffed, cluttered, happy kitchen table and Dad continued to tease in his funny voice.
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After breakfast Abby grabbed one of her many notebooks and dashed outside. She climbed up her favorite tree and fondly looked around her. The mossy yard was full of trees, a trampoline, a kitty pool, and several other toys. The paint was still peeling on the deck and the house was far from a mansion but it was cozy and it was home. What Abby loved most about her home city, Harborcreek, was that no matter which way she looked, if she strained her eyes far enough, they would eventually fall on woods. She didn’t have to strain her eyes much to the left, for there was her own little wood that stepped into the yard.
Splash!
He hops into the pond.
The silk water ripples.
The pink flowers laugh
At the tickle of the waves.
They are beautiful and pleasant,
Yes, this is true--
And so very sweet, but oh so still.
The frog is what jumps.
He hops for happiness.
His little jump of pure joy,
It affects the whole pond.
Soon all is up and active,
Laughing and singing,
All because of one tiny frog
And his beautiful little bounce.
I am now a new teen
And so I'm in between
Young and old,
Old and new.
I'm stuck inside my chrysalis,
Waiting to become a butterfly
But not really wanting to.
I miss being a caterpillar,
When my days were all just fun.
I’m just above the limit
Of my innocent MG books.
And just a bit too scared
For the daunting YA ones.
Too big for my old, simple bike,
Too short for my 10-speed.
Young enough still to love my dolls,
Old enough to be embarrassed about it.
I can enter the contests for teens,
But their writing all stands over mine.
I'm eye level with their elbows,
And their shoulders lock together,
Blocking out the sky for me.
The days of those clean stanzas
With ever-perfect rhyme,
They are all gone.
My words are scrambled,
But falling back together
In a lovely loose verse.
I will be a butterfly
And spread my colorful wings
With an intensified joy,
With more freedom than ever
To be me.
The cool water,
So thick and fresh,
Wraps around my ankles in a rush.
All is peaceful
Beneath the vibrant canopy
Of green leaves
As the smooth flow
Massages my legs.
Lazy droplets collect on my skin;
I don’t even bother to shake them away.
All I can hear
Is the soothing call
Of the creek,
My pencil on the paper,
And a bird’s chirps of joy
For this moment.
Anxiety is an ugly monster,
Causing problems whatever you do,
Eating away at your happiness,
Eating away
At you.
Anxiety scares sensible thinking away.
It scares the mind, also,
Into worrying.
As a frightened horse is difficult to ride,
So an anxious mind is hard to control.
But it can be stopped!
Though it may seem to be impossible,
God can do anything,
He is in control,
And He loves to help His children.
All we must do is think of
And be thankful for
God and His many blessings.
It takes time and effort, but
God will help defeat that monster in your mind.
When I run outside wanting to cry,
I climb the tree and feel I can fly!
All of my worries float far away
As I look at the beautiful day.
When I am up here
My head becomes clear.
My thoughts all go straight.
I can hardly wait
To put it all into words,
Starting with the calling birds:
Whirperdee, whirperdee, whirper wee-wee-wee, werrwe!
Cheeper, cheeper, cheeper!
Wher-whepher, wepher!
“That's everything you'll need, and the instructions are right here. Tell me if you need anything, Ok," Dad said. Amy was looking for a hobby and Dad was a builder. Maybe building could be Amy's hobby. He wanted Amy to try building by herself to see if she was really good at it.
Amy picked up the instruction packet. It said "How to Build a Swing: an easy step-by-step project for kids," on the front in big letters.
Amy nailed together all the parts and tied the ropes after Dad drilled the holes. Amy hung the swing while Dad held the ladder. Now it was time to test it out.
Amy felt the wind in her hair and the way it gently resisted her legs as she kicked back for more speed. She felt amazing. The swing seemed to be working perfectly, or maybe not.
Suddenly Amy was flying farther, much farther, than she should have been. She was still sitting on the seat of the swing. . . but the ropes had come untied at the highest point! Amy braced herself for the impact. Her stomach fluttered in anticipation of the fall, and then something changed.
Amy was still swinging. She was as high as when she was about to fall, but she came gently back down, and up again, and down. As the swing slowed to a stop, Amy looked at her surroundings. The swing looked very different; the seat, now carved and twisted, hung from the tree on two long, deep green vines. Leaves and bright pink flowers of all sizes grew on them. Nearby Amy saw a huge deer gracefully bend down to take a drink in the lake, which sparkled in the pale sunshine. All was peaceful. Amy wasn't the least bit afraid of the large animal. The ground was all mossy hills and valleys. Trees were growing all around and big butterflies were everywhere.
''Excuse me, Mr. Deer, could you please come over here and tell me what in the world is going on?'' Amy asked. The child knew that animals do not normally talk, but she asked the question and was not at all surprised when the deer answered.
''I cannot come over, I am sorry to say. Deer are not allowed in the fairy kingdom, we may accidentally hurt someone. It is a shame, though, I've always wanted to try some of the fairies' cake,'' he said.
''Fairies? Am I a fairy now? Is that why you look so big?'' Amy wondered.
''Certainly, you came here to find a hobby and even though you don't have wings, there are many fairies who will help you as if you are one,'' the deer explained. Amy was amazed.
So the fairies helped Amy find a hobby. At first it didn't go well.
''I'm sorry I spilled your paint, Andy, I'll help you clean it up,'' Amy apologized to the art fairy.
Andy laughed and her smile sparkled just as much as her magical wings. "At least you got just the purple shade I needed, but it shouldn't be in the sky! Don't worry, I can fix it," she said. They were painting in a meadow full of flowers in all shades of purple.
''Maybe cleaning is your hobby, you could balance out your clumsiness,'' Cassie, the craft fairy, joked after Amy made another mess. The shelves lining the craft room were covered in pink slime and even Cassie's bouncy curls had glue in them.
''Wow, am I bad at singing, but at least I don't have to clean anything up this time, unless I shattered one of those big windows,'' Amy laughed to Mira, the music fairy.
"You didn't. Don't worry, I know you'll find your hobby soon," Mira said. Her big blue eyes told the truth.
Finally, Amy tried baking with a fairy named Brittany. ''OK, let's make fairy cake,'' Brittany said, ''It's sweeter than you are!'' When Brittany smiled, dimples appeared on her chocolate-colored cheeks. The tidy kitchen had everything imaginable to use for baking organized nicely. Three flower spills and a dozen broken eggs later, it wasn't looking nearly as neat.
''I'm sorry I made such a mess, I was distracted by an idea: why don't just a few fairies fly treats over to the animals. I'm sure the animals won't accidentally hurt them if there's only a few,'' Amy explained.
''What a great idea!'' Brittany said. ''Let's get started right away!''
Soon the whole kingdom was abuzz with plans for the animals. A party was planned so that all the fairies could get together to cook food big enough.
''I see you've found your hobby, little one,'' said Opal, an elderly fairy whose wrinkled face was framed in long snow white hair.
''What do you mean?''
"Well, you enjoy helping animals, and you're wonderful at it,'' Opal explained, ''It's not just animals either, look how excited everyone is because of you. A real talent you have.'' Suddenly Amy understood.
''Oh thank you! You all helped me find my hobby, and it even helps others!'' she cried.
''In Mark 9:35, Jesus says, 'Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.' That means that if you are humble and make it your ability, or hobby, to serve others, you will become great,'' Opal said.
Amy beamed as she surveyed the scene around her. "It works fast," she said, "This is already pretty great!"
Oh, how beautiful autumn is!
The air so clear,
So cool,
So clean.
My mind is far away.
My eyes are on the leaves,
So brilliantly yellow!
They seem to glow
In the intense light.
The sun is shining bright,
Unhindered by the clouds.
They are there,
So puffy and white,
Floating
Across the sky.
Ah, the sky!
So pure and blue,
So very big.
The scene is overwhelmingly peaceful.
The earth feels so huge!
God's wonders are endless.
From the chattering squirrel
Up that tree
To the neighbor's cat
Looking at me,
God made them all
So full
Of beauty.
Tracy the wolf sat in confusion as her pack passed around panicked words and phrases. "Trees cut down... shopping mall... home destroyed... fight back..." Everything became clear with these bits of information.
"Mommy, is someone really going to destroy our home?" Tracy asked. Her big, puppy-like eyes stabbed at her Mommy’s heart.
“The humans want to, but I'm sure your Daddy and uncles will take care of this," she said.
“I don't like when Daddy fights," the pup said.
"If his fighting scares you, a full blood wolf, it will definitely scare the humans away. Then you, your Daddy, all your aunts and uncles, and I can live peacefully and safely again,” Mommy tried to reassure her. "I guess,” Tracy said half heartedly.
"Arrrwooo! Arrarrarrrrwoo!" Tracy's Daddy howled in pain as he limped into his cave. The same cry echoed through the surrounding area.
"Daddy! What happened?” Tracy asked in alarm.
"Are you ok, Frank,” Mommy asked her husband.
"I'm fine, but the attack didn't go as planned. We underestimated those humans, they know how to deal with wolves. More than half our army was hurt, not badly, but we can't beat those humans, arrrooo!" he cried again in pain.
"Don't worry so much now! You need to rest. Tracy will get you some soup while I take a look at that leg. We ladies and the men who aren't hurt will make a new plan tomorrow," Mommy says, making the reluctant wolf comfortable.
"Do I have to come with you to the meeting?" Tracy whined the next day.
"Yes sweetie, you know very well that there is nobody to watch while your Daddy rests,” Mommy said in a voice that is both gentle and stern.
"But I don't like hearing about it," the young wolf complained.
"I know what you mean, but this is going to make things better. We will not let those humans take our land,” Mama encouraged, as she led her daughter to the clearing where wolves attend to all their pack's protection.
"Awww," Aunt Talila said, "I don't know why any human would want to harm such a sad, adorable baby."
Tracy's response was the tiniest giggle.
"You just gave me an idea!” Mommy said to her sister. “Maybe we could get humans to see the whole pack the same way you see Tracy," she explained.
“Those eyes could melt anybody's heart," one uncle said.
"Should we try it?" another asked. All of the animals froze as they heard footsteps behind them.
“Well, I don’t see any other plan," an aunt said. Tracy looked up at the humans with a pitiful expression on her face. The rest of the wolves did the same.
"Awwl c'mon Russel look how cute they are!” a man named Jim said.
"Cute!? They're beasts!" Russel exclaimed.
"But look how sad they are!" another man, Lucus, protested.
"How would you like it if someone destroyed your home?" Robert asked fairly.
"As construction supervisor, I order you to start cutting these trees this instant!" Russel commanded.
"And what if we don't?" Lucus challenged.
"I'm taking the matter up with Lily!" Russel said.
"And? Lily has a heart, she'll agree to have the mall built someplace else,” Tim pointed out.
Russel grunted and groaned, stomping back and forth. “Fine! It's not my problem anyway because I quit!" he explodes.
"Fine by me," said Robert.
"Go tell Lily," Jim said. With a final exasperated noise, Russel stomped off.
"Let's go look for somewhere else to build, boys," Lucas said. The wolves watched the humans walk away, astonished.
"I think it worked!" Aunt Talila said at last.
"Tracy, you saved the day!” Mommy cried.
"Let’s go tell Daddy he won't have to fight anymore!” Tracy said, beaming and not looking a bit sad or sorry but even cuter than ever.