Bonus 12: A Town Called Hup

A Town Called Hup
by
Matt Zurbo

Jules liked to stroll,
to places here and there,
until he found a town,
with a little flair.

In a small village called Hup,
down in a deep valley,
he met a population,
who seemed very savvy!

“Why walk?” they declared.
“Where’s the fun in that?
“Bounce, hop, leap, jump
be you thin, small, tall or fat!”

Kangaroos, rabbits, frogs,
were all copied, leap for leap,
The way people moved about,
kept them off their feet.

BOING, CRASH, POMP!
everybody jumped around,
ZLINK, ZLONK, GA-LONK!
far up off the ground!

Jules put ants down his pants,
“When in Rome…” he said,
jumping all around,
his face turning bright red!

“Woh! Woo! Lookout!”
he was heard to cry,
so many ants biting hard,
he leapt into the sky!

Then, Jules felt a THUD!
as he came to a sharp halt,
before falling back to earth,
like a lightening bolt.

The Bully Boys, on a tall roof,
had other plans for Hup.
Each one mean and petty,
hating this leaping stuff.

They held out wooden planks,
so, no matter how you tried,
it would hurt too much,
if you dared leap high.

SPLAT, SQUELTCH, QUILK!
all those who liked to jump,
found themselves, on the ground,
nursing big head lumps!

And worse, those that kept on jumping,
went PING, PING, PING, PING!
between the planks and earth,
like a pinball machine!

ZOOM, went the mayor,
through the window pane!
Zoink! went the butcher,
landing on a train.

Everybody crashing, bashing,
bully boys having a ball!
“That’s enough!” Jules roared,
deciding to stand tall.

“This is just the way it is,”
some sore Hup locals moaned.
“Nothing we can do,”
even more of them droned.

“Nothing!? Accept!?” Jules barked.
“Sorry, there’s no such things!”
Then braced himself to leap,
at Bully Boys laughing.

First he put big truck springs,
on each of his legs,
then, jumped on a bouncy ball,
sitting on a bouncy bed.

Landing on a trampoline,
kicked by a kangaroo,
Jules shot up and up,
the whole town going “Oooooh…”

He rose too fast for planks.
Look out, Bully Boys!
Now hurtling through the air,
sorry for their evil ploys.

Old mattresses were found,
and run out in a rush,
so that when they landed,
Bully Boys wouldn’t turn to mush!

Falling towards the ground,
each of them had one chance;
to jump just like the rest,
which made everybody dance!

Sure enough, when they landed,
boing, boing, boing, they all went!
laughing with the town,
as if all things were Heaven sent.

Meanwhile, poor little Jules,
just went higher, higher, higher!
Bouncing up off an eagle,
approaching the sun’s fire.

Finally, he landed, PLOINK!
in a hot air balloon,
sailing into the distance,
whistling a happy tune!

Up there he looked down,
at the fading town called Hup!
And Juggleville, and Beard Village,
and a hamlet called Super Gruff!

“So many options,” he smiled,
“to visit before I go to bed.”
Then grabbed a parachute 

and leapt,

with joy,

towards
whatever adventures lay ahead.

So… If you ever feel like
you, too, should take a chance,
all you had to do,
is pour ants down your pants!

 

The End