Stand Up For Right, King Garlic by Joanne Morris Okano

The squirrels had gone home and the people had enough to eat.
Do not ask me this long tale to repeat.
But the people had a long road ahead of them,
Because the people were not clean, ahem.
"Enough of this!" said King Garlic.
"Why can't people wait
Until they are married to date
Their husband or wife in the sack?
Pure thoughts and pure actions
Are what we all need
And I think it is agreed
We need to read the Book of Mormon more
And not just repeat
Trite phrases we've heard
That to us might sound neat.
"Do it when it feels good"
Said the devil, not the Lord.
The word of the Lord is
What he abhorred
And so told the people not to read
The good word of God, did the devil.
How could the people be so evil?"

"Get up everyday at dawn,"
Said the children.
"Then you'll put some breakfast on the table for us and then some
Scriptures will follow, along with a prayer.
I must not say to my brother, So there!
I must help him with his homework
And then off to school
To do sums and Math and learn the Golden Rule.
To do English and French, Spanish
And quizzical things like Science
And form an alliance
To get our homework done before going out
 Until it is time to go out and about.
The Dads and the Mums did not work too hard
Scolding and telling us to work hard
Instead they sat back and enjoyed a rest
After a day of doing their best."

The homeschoolers were brave and stayed home to do work
They could not shirk their work
And parents would not let them play
If they did not do their work and obey
They had to work hard, they had to work fast
And get all their work done, until at last
They went out to play until three or four
And then set the table for dinner and more
Likely washed dishes too after meals
And that was real.
No more Mr. Nice Guy,you think Father said,
But no, Father was kind and put them to bed
With a tale or two and then turned out the light
After he had kissed them goodnight.
                   THE END

Even kings read stories to their children!

King Garlic And The Squirrels From Wirral/Joanne Morris Okano

     I hope you enjoy this poem I wrote a few months ago.
 
King Garlic looked outside, one day in the rain
And said, "Oh this weather is truly a pain.
I wanted to go out today and hunt squirrels."

"These squirrels from Wirral are truly a peril.
They're eating our radishes, looting our spinach.
Our kale and our cabbage they're starting to pillage.
Our eggplant and onions they snatch in each village,"
The people of King Garlic's land said in Spanish.
The gracious, kind King - he was not one for killing
But if he did not eat them, the squirrels were winning
And fast taking over the good Land Of Plenty,
Which he feared the Land Of Scarcity quickly would be.

"They're eating our oranges and lemons," said the people.
"How can we export marmelade with such evil?"
The people were skinny, the squirrels were fat.
The people had quite soon had enough of that!

"How are the garlic crops?" the King asked the court.
They replied that none had been sold or been bought,
But had been stolen away by those pesky squirrels
To store inside hollow trees and eat in case of viral
Pneumonia and that they were all writing poems
To persuade the squirrels to up and go home.

"Oh, dear, what shall we do?" the kind King asked.
"It seems we'd better do something fast,
But this torrential downpour has come today
To suggest to our minds there's another way,
Than killing these creatures of tawny and black,
For once we have killed them, there's no going back."

The people agreed, but what else could they do.
They had to think of something fast, wouldn't you?
They sent minstrels out to sing out the poems,
To send the fat little squirrels back to their hoemes
The Wirraleans wanted them back, do you know?
King Garlic said the squirrels had got to go.
The Wirraleans said the squirrels were fine in their land.
They ate up the acorns, were appreciated, not banned.
"It might be the change in climate, since migration
That their habits have taken this great deviation,"
Said the Wirraleans, shaking their heads with regret.
Their Wirralean squirrels were hard to forget.
"Since these squirrels were so appreciated
Let's find some kinder method
Of freeing ourselves from them taking us over,"
Said King Garlic to his Queen, his beloved.
"Are the poems having any effect on the squirrels?"
She wondered.  "Are there quarrels
Between the minstrels and squirrels,
Or are we making headway with those squirrels from Wirral?

Meanwhile in the town square was a stand
Of pears and of apples till suddenly a hand
Or paw, I should say, appeared there to grab
An apple to eat for a squirrel before catching a cab.
"Are you going to Wirral?" someone dared to ask.
"No, I'm off to a friend's tree to frolic and bask
In the sun and to eat as much as I could,"
Said the squirrel taking off to the woods.
"Oh, what shall we do now?" said the Queen,
As wringing her delicate hands she was seen.
"Well, how did they get here?" Pablo asked.
"They were kindnapped by pirates, till at last
They were freed on our soil," said Pepita.
"How shocking, how awful," said the King, somewhat meeker
From hearing these shameful events brought to attention,
He went back to his chamber and arranged a convention.
"These poor helpless squirrels really cannot be blamed
For the predicament they have us in, let it be famed.
They were brought here by pirates, and listen up folks,
How could they eat acorns, we do not have oaks!
The people of Wirral were glad to oblige
With an airlift for the squirrels to have a free ride
Back to Wirral where they ate all the nuts they could want
And caused only joy, not distress and affront.

 THE END

Songwords Of Birds And Planes (2 of 3)/Joanne Morris Okano (Verwest)

Pick of the Month for March: Anne of Avonlea

     I read Anne Of Avonlea during a peaceful, idyllic summer while my daughter was studying for summer school.  I had such a good time reading this enthusiastic book.  

Thought For The Day

      Don't walk out of your house in the morning until you've had a prayer!

How To Be Saved

  This morning I read a Book of Mormon scripture which tells us how to be saved.
     "And he (meaning Jesus Christ) cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken (meaning listen) unto his voice".
      So this scripture tells us that if we will follow the instructions given by the voice of Jesus Christ, we will be saved.  We can "hear his words" by reading the Book of Mormon and the Bible, listening to the words of the Latter-day prophets, and praying and listening for the answer from the Holy Spirit.  I know this is true.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Book Review of Whole Foods For The Whole Family (La Leche League)

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     I prepared Valentine Soup (top) and Multigrain Bread, recipes from Whole Foods For The Whole Family, and was very pleased with them.