The Jiggle Goos

A bed of leaves,

Some green, some purple, some orange.

Winding trees that know more than anyone.

Oaks and birches and beeches and bark

With little critters winding their way inside.

Ivi watches with smiling eyes,

And another, lets call it Min, joins to look

As little rainbow ants make their way.

Ivi and Min stand there and wiggle and wobble

And dance with the ants.

Min looks up to see a little caterpillar

Safe in its cocoon.

Min wiggles and wobbles and wishes it well.

"May you grow into a butterfly

As beautiful as you are" It says.

Ivi joins and wiggles and wobbles and says:

"May your wings be strong and your antennae be wise."

Above them a gentle blue sky holds up a sun,

And this sun has little eyes that are black,

And a smiling face, pleasant and welcoming.

Ivi and Min wave at the sun, and the sun

Shines a little brighter.

"I give you light, and you give me company" Says the sun.

Ivi and Min lay down in the leaves,

Some green, some purple, some orange.

Down the way, among a patch of birch trees,

A turquoise bunny and another, lets call it Awni,

Sit together on a patch of moss.

Awni strokes the bunnies ears, and

They flip back up when Awni lifts its hand.

Awni smiles and the bunny says:

"I give you company and softness, and you give me

Pets and smiles."

And Awni says: "You're exactly right."

Awni and the bunny make their way to

The big tree, and sit in its hollow trunk.

They say hi to the ants and slugs,

And lay down to sleep.

Awni says goodbye to the sun as it

Dips under the leafy ground.

"I shall see you when I come back again" The sun says with a kiss.

The sky turns orange, then pink, then purple, then dark.

Awni and the bunny and the critters sleep in

The hollow trunk of the big tree,

And fireflies that shine gold float around them.

Gentle night clouds float over them,

And they speak with the moon.

This moon has small eyes that are black

And a smiling face.

The clouds thank the moon; they say:

"You shine light on us, so those below can see us."

And the moon says:

"And you give me something to shine on."

Below, Ivi feels a snail crawl on its arm-like limb,

And turns its head to greet the critter.

"Hello, small one. How is your night going?" Says Ivi.

"I am feeling scared" Says the snail. "May I sleep on your arm?"

Ivi picks up a leaf and places it on the snail, a blanket of sorts.

"Of course you may.

And it's normal to feel scared. But the sun is just taking

A rest, and we must too.

Trust that everything is as it was during the day,

But only now we are greeted by the moon,

And isn't it wonderful?" Ivi says and points upward at the

Friendly moon.

Ivi waves and says:

"Hello, moon. You will keep us safe, won't you?"

The moon chuckles gently and replies:

"Of course, small one. I will be here to watch over

All of you. And when it is time

For me to take my rest,

My good friend will come and give you light.

I am not made to help you see, because it is time

To rest your eyes. Rest your minds.

It is a mental exercise, being alive.

It is easy to forget that, and thus many wonder: 'Why am I so tired?'

And that is because you are living,

And no matter if your day was good or bad,

It is tiring, living.

So close your eyes,

Tend to your minds,

And left them drift to sleep."

"Thank you, moon" Says the snail.

The moon nods and smiles, and Ivi pets the snail gently

And invites it to get more comfortable.

The snail lays down on Ivi, in the comfort of its shell,

And under the leaf.

"Rest, for now. And tomorrow, we will dance" Says Ivi.

The snail smiles, yawns, and drifts to sleep.