Fact and Fancy

by Lucy M. Young

This is a short collection of poems – 18 in all – that Lucy wrote for children. At the beginning of the collection, she wrote:

“Dedicated to children of all ages who have ever noticed and wondered about the world they live in.”

If I Had A Flying Carpet

If I had my own flying carpet
Or Aladdin's magic lamp,
I could visit a king in his castle,
Or a cave so dark and damp.

I could fly around among the stars,
Or take a trip to the moon;
I could walk through the forest with Robin Hood,
Or sail in a big balloon.

I'd like to fly around the world
To many a far-off land -
See the windmills and tulips in Holland,
Heidi's mountain in Switzerland.

But most of all I'd like to go
To the Holy Land and talk
To the people who live where Jesus lived,
And walk where He used to walk.

He loved little children, the Bible says,
And I know that He loves me;
But if I could see where He once lived,
I know He'd seem closer to me.

Then I think I would want to hurry back
And never again want to roam - 
I would gladly give up my carpet and lamp
For Mother and Daddy and home.

Come, Little Birds

Come, little birds, your table is spread
With suet and seeds and crusts of bread.
Come, eat, for the cold north wind is blowing
And maybe by night it will be snowing.

Eat hearty, my babies, then fly away
To the woods to await another day.
The cold, dark hours will soon be gone,
And you'll awake with a song at dawn.

I know you'll be safe and warm while you sleep
'Cause Jesus His loving vigil will keep -
He will always be there, you can be very sure,
To hold you and keep you safe and secure.

Snow

---

Today it's raining, oh dear me,
And I so wanted snow;
But the dear Lord knows what's best for us
And sends it to us below.

My sled and my skis are gathering dust
While I watch through my windowpane -
Instead of lovely, fluffy snow,
All I can see is rain.

When Jesus was a little boy
In a land so far away,
I guess He prob'ly never had
The snow in which to play.

He never knew what fun it was
To slide down a snowy hill,
Or make lovely angels in the snow
While the world is so white and still.

So I'll watch and wait and if snow comes,
How happy I will be;
But if it rains I'll know it's 'cause
God knows what's best for me.

---

February Party

Old Mr. Winter raised his head,
Looked around him, then he said,
"I think I'll pay a call today
On Miss February 'fore she goes away."

He yawned and blinked and shook his head,
Then creakily rose from his feather bed.
He shook it up, and what do you know -
The feathers fell out and turned to snow!

Down below, Miss February looked around
At the frozen grass and brown bare ground;
And as she watched with wishful eyes,
It began to snow - what a nice surprise!

It was like a party - Mr. North Wind the host,
There were marshmallow hats on every fence post;
Snowflakes were the guests - they danced and played,
And marched around in a gay parade.

That night, Miss February said good-bye
And went away with a tiny sigh;
But she isn't too sad because she knows
She'll be back next year when the cold north wind blows.

Why the Wind?

I wonder where the wind goes
After it passes by.
I wonder where it comes from,
And then I wonder why -

Why it suddenly appears
To skip across the grass,
To bend the trees and toss the clouds,
Then just as quickly pass.

Sometimes it's soft and cooling
And sings a quiet song;
Sometimes it's wild and noisy,
And roars as it races along.

Someday I think I'll follow it
Wherever it may go;
And try to find the secret
Of why the wind must blow.

                                                   The Rain

I woke up one night in the velvety dark
And heard such a pleasant sound -
Rain was pittery, pattering on the roof,
Falling soft on the thirsty ground.

When I looked out at the streetlight's glow
Diamonds sparkled on every tree,
And fell to the ground in a sparkling shower -
A treasure for you and me.

The street was a shiny, black, satiny ribbon
That somebody dropped and forgot;
The bushes were bobbing and dancing about
In a jiggly, wiggly foxtrot.

Then I snuggled back down in my cozy bed
And said, "Thank you, Lord, for the rain.
Now the gardens can grow and the flowers will bloom
And the earth will be lovely again."

Spring Is Here

Spring is here! Hooray! Hooray!
The sun has melted the snow away;
I'm happy and singing all the day.
Why? Because Spring is here.

The peepers arise from their muddy beds
And sing in the marshes where Springtime treads;
The flowers will soon be raising their heads.
Why? Because Spring is here.

The birds are busy the livelong day
Building their nests of feather and hay;
They sing 'though they have no time to play.
Why? Because Spring is here.

I like the Autumn when leaves are aglow
With beautiful colors, and I like the snow;
But now I'm tinglingly happy from head to toe
And all because Spring is here.

                                  Hello Little Squirrel

Hello little squirrel, where have you been?
I've been watching all winter for you.
Did you curl up and sleep in your warm, cozy nest
As soon as the cold north wind blew?

I've been putting out food - lots of sunflower seeds
And peanuts and bread crusts galore;
Why didn't you come? Did you sleep through it all,
Or go to your own private store?

Don't sit there and scold me = it isn't my fault
That you missed all my goodies and snacks;
Stop chattering at me and twitching your tail,
And tell me you're glad to be back.

'Cause I'm glad to see you, no matter how cross
You may be, so please sit down and eat;
And I'll tell you about all the snow that you missed
While you flail on your sunflower treat.

Little Bird On My Window Sill

A little bird perched on my window sill -
A little brown bird with an orange bill,
And a twinkly eye that seemed to say,
"Why don't you come out with me to play?"

He twittered and chirped and bobbed his head
And winked at me until I said,
"Little bird, I would love to play with you;
But tell me, pray, what could we do?"

Then he said, "We could fly above the trees,
And soar and float on the soft warm breeze.
You could see where I've hidden my cozy nest,
And visit my family, be my guest."

"But little brown bird, I cannot fly."
And I looked at him with a tear in my eye.
"Oh, yes you can," he said to me.
"Just close your eyes and listen to me."

Then he sang of mountains and forests and streams,
And far-off places, lovely dreams;
'Til it seemed I was flying up, up and away
Through the sunny sky on that beautiful day.

Now whenever I'd like to fly away
I close my eyes and remember the day
When a little bird taught me how to fly
Without wings, through a lovely springtime sky.

The Clouds

I love to watch the clouds sail by
Like stately ships across the sky;
Or when they're soft and white and still,
I see a castle on a hill
Protected by a mighty wall,
And shining knights on horses tall.

I love them when they're dark and scary,
Bringing blizzards in January;
Or in summer when they roll and tumble
And scare me with a fierce low rumble;
When lightning flashes and skips around,
Or snaps at a tree or a rock on the ground.

It doesn't matter what they do,
I love to watch the clouds, don't you?
There are so many pictures there -
Mountains and lakes and meadows fair,
Flowers and forests and silver streams,
All spun from the magic of my dreams.

Little Fishes in the Brook

Little fishes in the brook,
Please don't come and bite my hook -
Look at it then swim away
So you can swim another day.

I don't want to catch a fish -
I just want to sit and wish
I could swim and play with you
In the brook the whole day through.

Playing tag and hide-and-seek,
Racing like a silver streak
Through water sparkling in the sun.
Oh, I think 'twould be such fun. 
I'm glad you didn't bite my hook -
Now you can stay in the laughing brook
And listen to its happy song
While you splash and play where you belong.

God’s Windows

I wonder where the stars go
When the night is done;
I wonder why they disappear 
Every day at dawn.

Perhaps they are God's windows,
Shining with His light;
Helping people find their way
Through the darkest night.

I like to think that's what they are -
Helping Him to keep
His loving vigil over us
While we safely sleep.

When His lights go out at dawn,
The sun shines bright above
To let us know He's always there
To warm us with His love.

My Kitten

I have a little kitten,
She's as naughty as can be;
No matter where she finds herself,
It's not where she wants to be.

If she's inside she wants to go out,
Outside she wants to cone in;
But when she bounces through the door,
She remembers she's already been

Inside, so she climbs up the curtains,
Then she races 'round the house,
Chasing a little ball of yarn,
Pretending it's a mouse.

I love her when she goes to sleep
Curled up in a furry ball;
But when she's doing naughty things,
I love her most of all.

Robin Redbreast, Sing to Me

Robin Redbreast in the tree,
Won't you sing a song to me?
Sing about how glad you are
That you've safely flown so far

From the Southland, far away,
Travelling both night and day
Toward the North to settle down
And build a home that's safe and sound.

Sing about your sturdy nest,
And the bright blue eggs that rest
Snug and warm beneath your mate.
Sing with joy while you wait

For your babies to come out
Of their shells, then sing about
How very beautiful they are -
Spread the happy news afar.

Then let your glad song tell us of
Our dear Heavenly Father's love -
How He watches day and night,
And guides us with His heavenly light.

Come With Me to Fantasy Land

Come, little friends, come take my hand
And fly with me to Fantasy Land -
A land where the skies are always blue
And the sun shines bright for me and you;

Where birds are singing in all the trees,
And there's always a friendly balmy breeze
For flying a kite or sailing a boat,
And you never ever need a coat.

Where lions and lambs come out to play
With children and birds in a friendly way;
Where no one is ever pouty or cross,
And nobody ever tries to be boss;

Where hawks and doves can fly together
And one never tries to hurt the other;
Where all God's creatures love one another
And call each other sister and brother.

Oh, it would be grand, I'm sure you'll agree,
To live in this land so happy and free;
Where never a cross word can be spoken,
And promises made are never broken.

So why don't we try to live together
In friendship and peace in all kinds of weather?
Let's all join hands and promise each other
To love and share like sister and brother.

The Little Rabbit

A little rabbit comes each night
To play on my back lawn.
He capers, hops and skips about
Until the rosy dawn
Sends him scurrying to his home
To rest the whole day through,
Then out he comes again at dusk
To dance in the sparkling dew.

He's a pretty little bunny -
All furry, warm and brown;
I'd love to go and play with him -
He's such a little clown
He's happy, carefree, fearless,
As he spends the night in play
Because he knows God cares for him
And will keep him safe alway.

A Little Friend

A little 'possum came to call
Just a baby so cute and small
He sat outside on my window sill
Huddled against the evening's chill.

He sniffed the air and looked around
To see if any good could be found
I smiled at him and softly said,
"Hello little friend would you like some bread?"

Slowly so not to frighten him
I opened the window next to him
And put soft bread on the window sill
Then I sat and watched and waited until

He came to eat it - so hungry he was -
Then he wiped his mouth with his little paws
Took a big piece of bread and ran away.
Oh, I hope he'll come back another day.

My Furry Little Neighbor

I have a furry little friend
Who lives beneath my barn.
He's a very thoughtful neighbor,
Never causes me concern.

He comes out on the lawn to eat
The fresh green grass and clover;
Although my garden's quite nearby,
He never looks it over.

He never glances at the rows
Of beets and beans and carrots;
I don't know how to give him
The big reward he merits.

In case you've not already guessed,
My furry little friend
Is a chubby woodchuck, brown and sleek,
On whom I can depend.

He's safe and snug beneath my barn,
He'll never trouble give;
'Cause I trust him and he trusts me -
That's how we all should live.

Be kind and thoughtful always,
Have faith in God above;
Share what we have with others,
And season it with love.

The Little Red Hen

A little red hen came calling on me
From the farm across the way;
Examined the lawn, inspected the barn,
And made up her mind to stay.

I opened the window to say "Hello"
And welcomed her to my home;
I gave her some food which she gratefully ate
And decided no more to roam.

Clucking and crooning she sings to herself
As she rambles around the lawn;
I listen to her and I have to smile
It is such a happy song.

She sleeps in my barn all cozy and warm
With her head tucked under her wing;
She knows God will shield her the whole night through
For she rests 'neath an angel's wing.

The end of Fact and Fancy

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