The Cuckoo-clock Waiting for Spring

nrhatch of Spirit Lights the Way entered a lovely rhyme about a Quiggle for the In Just Spring Writing Contest of children’s author Susanna Leonard Hill, and persuaded me to try a spring entry too.  I also decided to rhyme it.  It was fun to meet the challenge of the topic within the limitations of no more than 350 words and ending with one of the two given lines.  Of course, I had to throw the obvious pun in …

 I do hope Koo gives a chance for Immy and her dragon to be looked at in USA – although the music part might come as a bit of surprise!

The Cuckoo-clock Waiting for Spring

Sadly sobbed the cuckoo-clock,
‘Fell off hook, and got a shock!
Though I’m back upon the wall,
I’m not working now, at all!’

(Anyway, that clock, for years,
Had a fault inside his gears:
All his cuckoo there could do
Was to give a cute soft, ‘Koo!’ 

Lots of people tried to look
For the reason for no ‘Cuck’;
Could not find where lay the blame;
Soon, then, ‘Koo’ clock’s name became.) 

‘Woe is me!’ Koo’s cry went on,
‘I have stopped; my spring is gone;
I have nothing, now, to wind –
Please, my spring do try to find!’

Owl, at window, thought awhile,
Then he seemed to give a smile,
‘You must wait till winter goes;
That’s when spring is found, one knows!’ 

Koo said, ‘Sob, weep, wail, boo-hoo!
What can I through winter do?’
Owl suggested, ‘While you wait,
Why don’t you just hibernate?’ 

‘What on earth is that?’ clock cried;
‘That’s when you,’ the bird replied,
‘Like the bears and hedgehogs do,
Sleep the whole of winter through.’

So Koo slept, until at last,
That long winter had all passed;
Blossoms bloomed, and weather warmed;
Buds came budding; swallows swarmed. 

Though the signs all seemed to say
Winter had now gone away,
Still on wall see poor Koo mope,
Silently, and losing hope. 

But some mice, who lived below
In a hole which didn’t show,
Said, ‘Our home’s a dirty scene –
Time to do a big spring-clean!’

Thus, they swept out with a will;
Cleaned and dusted there, until,
With surprise, one mouse soon found
Some strange thing all coiled around. 

‘That’s my spring!’ hear clock shout out,
For it was, without a doubt!
Then said mouse, ‘What’s this I feel?
Seems to be a little wheel!’ 

And it was not long before
Both parts, left out on the floor,
Were put back inside of Koo
By a man who, how to, knew.

Seeing leaves and blooms grow fast;
Ticks and tocks back at full blast;
Shouting ‘Cuckoo!’ as in past,
Koo knew spring was here at last!

   

© Colonialist March 2013 (WordPress)