Day 264: Family Trees

Family Trees
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Sammy Moore,
who most adored,
woke up early,
fell on the floor.

His head too heavy,
sprouting branches
he ran to doctor,
taking no chances.

Leaves soon grew,
limbs got heavy,
full of all his
distant relies.

His family tree
up on head,
was a burden,
so he said.

A real blessing
and a curse.
A wealth of knowledge,
bringing mirth.

“Help me Doc!”
Sammy wailed.
I have a date,
which will now fail!”

“The girl is nice,
the girl is sweet,
I like her head,
I like her feet!”

“There is not much,
I can do,”
said poor doctor,
Fu Manchoo.

“An arbourist
just might help!”
“Don’t you dare!!”
his relies yelped.

Sammy sat down
in the park,
made the dogs
bark, bark, bark.

“Do this, do that,”
Grandma said.
“Do the other,”
snapped Uncle Fred.

Sammy wanted
to speak to,
his great, great, great,
great, great, great,
great, great, great
granddad Lou.

Lou was a
dirty blacksmith,
working in
medieval bliss.

Making armour for
brave knights,
and little butter boxes
to keep out mice.

They got out,
string-joined tin cans,
to better yack,
about Sammy’s plans.

“Oh, but to
hold her hand,
would be a victory,
on which I’d stand!”

Lou told Sammy;
“Life goes quick,
do it, Sir,
do it quick!”

But Sammy’s mum’s
23 x great,
Auntie Bobbie
was not Lou’s mate.

“Dating girls,”
so she claimed,
“is a sin,
that deserved pain.”

Soon every branch of
Sammy’s family tree,
was arguing
wholeheartedly.

“Hold her!”, “Hug her!”
“Let her go!”
they all debated
to-and-fro.

Fights broke out
here and there,
in the tree
he had for hair.

A fire started,
limbs were cut,
Sammy’s family
were awful tough!

Sammy, though, had
started a thing,
more people spreading
unusual wings.

Mostly they were
family trees,
but also flowers
attracting bees.

Family hedges,
also grew,
and vines and moss,
tumble weeds, too.

Everybody,
everywhere,
with relatives
filing the air.

Then a dragon
swooped on down,
whisking Sammy’s date,
out of town!

“Build a boat!”
a relative cried!
While others yelled;
“Run and hide!”

“I will do
no such thing!”
Sammy roared
into his tin.

A distant uncle
told Sammy how,
to build a boat,
in a short while.

Great cousin Max,
a fisherman,
showed Sammy knots,
as he ran.

Great, great Audrey,
from his mother’s side,
showed Sammy how
to use the tide.

From up the tree,
a voice stretched,
explaining catapults,
to fire his nets.

Then finally
a relative,
so far back
dodo birds lived

told Sammy how
to grow a herb,
to knock a dragon
to the curb.

“So much information,”
Sammy thought,
as with the dragon,
he bit and fought.

But only Sammy’s
uncle Lou
knew exactly
what to do.

“Put the herb,
in dragon tea.
The beasts love it,
wait and see!”

But before Sammy
could do it,
the girl threw
her own fit!

“I will not!”
she did rage!
“Be your food!
Or by you be saved!”

Then she roared
with 1,000 teeth,
the dragon quickly
meeting defeat!

Gradually,
in Sammy’s town,
more and more,
such sorts were found.

A kid with ideas
you could see.
A lady who
could talk to flees.

Someone else
full of fun,
who’d burp out
bits of the sun.

Sammy took it,
in his stride,
a cool cat,
in a strange tide.

So much more
to live and learn,
with history
at ever turn.

 

The End