ORIGIN: What can we say? Our imagination demanded free rein, that’s why this one is a bit of a stretch. Look at that mouth. Do you see the sloth? We do, but that could very well be because we are used to hanging on our imagination’s every word.
Is that an animal I see, hanging on your every word? Come on, share them with the class. Most trees shed their leaves. Haven’t you learned that sharing is caring?
Don’t start your day with an alarm clock. Let sunlight filter through the trees and drip into your eyes. Your dream will be gone by the time you wake up, but you will have hope to spare.
Some play possum and others laugh in the face of danger. I have found that smiling works best for me. There’s no need to die inside. Just lift the corners of your mouth and nod along to their song. Don’t give up on your own lyrics. Let them see what they want to see and keep writing with all your heart.
Don’t be sad. Look for the silver lining, there has to be one. I was looking forward to my 18th birthday. But they kept pushing the date back. First it was adolescence and then young adulthood. I just want to grow up. To go from tadpole to frog without taking the scenic route. But life is meant to be enjoyed, isn’t it? Who knows, maybe I will get to sprout wings and this won’t turn out to be a waste of my life.
Did you know that most bats don’t drink blood? But lackluster things like insects, nectar and fruit don’t capture our imagination. Those things are only mentioned in passing. History is written in blood, and only blood-thirsty people get immortalized. Regardless of your chosen field, nobody has ever made a name for themselves with lily-white hands.
Sloth: Gravity has forsaken you. Most of your dreams have already floated away. You remind me of a bird with limp wings. But I still have dibs on laziness, so don’t you go despairing on me. I am the dream your brain couldn’t be bothered to spark. But I am here now. And you have to go on. Limp home if you must. But tomorrow you will give me a smile. You will stand your ground and keep that smile from floating away too.
Opossums: What’s with that face? Gravity has given us a gift. Don’t you go looking at it in the mouth. Our tails aren’t strong enough. We would never have gotten away with hanging upside-down by our tails and dreaming our lives away. Sooner or later we would have had to grow up. What you should be doing is thanking gravity for lifting the ban. Say hello to neverland!
Frog: Reality isn’t so bad. You are smiling, aren’t you? Reality has its upsides. Two for every downside. You just have to keep your eyes open for them. Your father used to push you on the swings. That’s where you learned to dream. He had your back, and you looked forward to your life. Reality didn’t match your dreams. And this is where you grow up and learn to live with it.
Bat: Poor thing, you spent your childhood dreaming, didn’t you? No wonder you can’t get into the swing of reality.