It is a well established fact that
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Can never put Humpty together again
But what if Humpty is us?
What if we take a gander at ourselves?
And we see the truth
That we are fragile breakable breakable
Girls and boys sitting on a great wall
All it take is a slight puff of wind
And down we all fall
Down and down and shatter and crack
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Can never put us together again
What then?
Can the King do it?
Can the King put us all back together again?
Will He?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
a wonderland correspondence
Dear Alice,
It’s always the “why” questions that bring about the stories. Sometimes it’s the “what if” questions but usually it’s that little three letter word that causes all the trouble.
Don’t fret yourself, my dear girl. I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. At least, not mostly. And I shan’t blame you one bit, no matter what that Caterpillar says.
I hope you are in excellent health.
I remain yours faithfully,
Mother Goose
Dear Mother Goose,
I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t the slightest idea about the why questions or the what-if questions, for that matter. Perhaps you’ve been sampling too much of the Mad Hatter’s tea.
Send my love to the Caterpillar. He always was a dear.
Yours,
Alice
Dear Alice,
Then you must not have heard about the news. It’s dear Mr. Humpty Dumpty. He’s gone and fallen off that great wall that he was sitting on. He shattered into a million pieces. The King’s horses and all their men came to try to put him back to rights but they were rather unsuccessful.
Do take care of yourself, dear. Come and visit me on Tuesday next. I shall have tea and crumpets and the most delightful spread laid for you.
Fondly,
Mother Goose
Dearest Mother Goose,
I’m dreadfully sorry to hear that he fell. I did always feel that such a lofty perch was perhaps unsafe for such a fragile creature. Why was he on that horrid wall in the first place?
I should dearly have liked to come to tea but I’m afraid I’m otherwise engaged. The Cheshire Cat is taking me to see the Queen. He says she is improved in disposition and temper since last I saw her. But then, the Cheshire Cat has never been one whose talk was entirely trustworthy.
I shall gladly postpone tea until another more convenient time.
Regretfully,
Alice
Dear Alice,
There it is. You see? The why question. Why indeed was he on that wall? What in heaven’s name could have possessed him to consider that a wise place to sit? Then again, poor dear Humpty was never the sharpest tool in the kit. I suppose we mustn’t fault him too much. It is a sad business, little Alice, and I pity his poor mother. Mrs. Dumpty nearly cracked her own shell when she heard the news, they say.
I shall continue to anticipate our tea time. Does a fortnight from Thursday suit you? The cakes may be quite stale by then but I suppose I can whip up another batch.
Do drop me a line to let me know that you are most definitely coming.
With regards,
Mother Goose
Dear Reader,
If you’ve found this note, it’s because I’ve fallen and cracked into a thousand pieces. I’m sure the King will have sent his men to try to fix me but it’s no use. I knew full well the risk I took in sitting on this wall. It is a dangerous place for one so breakable as I. But I can’t help it. I am waiting for someone. I spoke to her once before and it was the most wonderful five minutes of my life. I tried to speak the happiness that was in my heart. But she walked away confused. So I am waiting for her to come back to the wall, to my wall. And then I was going to tell her what she had become to me. I suppose it’s too late for that now.
Give my love, all my love, to Alice and tell her something that will make her happy.
Humpty Dumpty
It’s always the “why” questions that bring about the stories. Sometimes it’s the “what if” questions but usually it’s that little three letter word that causes all the trouble.
Don’t fret yourself, my dear girl. I’m sure it wasn’t your fault. At least, not mostly. And I shan’t blame you one bit, no matter what that Caterpillar says.
I hope you are in excellent health.
I remain yours faithfully,
Mother Goose
Dear Mother Goose,
I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean. I haven’t the slightest idea about the why questions or the what-if questions, for that matter. Perhaps you’ve been sampling too much of the Mad Hatter’s tea.
Send my love to the Caterpillar. He always was a dear.
Yours,
Alice
Dear Alice,
Then you must not have heard about the news. It’s dear Mr. Humpty Dumpty. He’s gone and fallen off that great wall that he was sitting on. He shattered into a million pieces. The King’s horses and all their men came to try to put him back to rights but they were rather unsuccessful.
Do take care of yourself, dear. Come and visit me on Tuesday next. I shall have tea and crumpets and the most delightful spread laid for you.
Fondly,
Mother Goose
Dearest Mother Goose,
I’m dreadfully sorry to hear that he fell. I did always feel that such a lofty perch was perhaps unsafe for such a fragile creature. Why was he on that horrid wall in the first place?
I should dearly have liked to come to tea but I’m afraid I’m otherwise engaged. The Cheshire Cat is taking me to see the Queen. He says she is improved in disposition and temper since last I saw her. But then, the Cheshire Cat has never been one whose talk was entirely trustworthy.
I shall gladly postpone tea until another more convenient time.
Regretfully,
Alice
Dear Alice,
There it is. You see? The why question. Why indeed was he on that wall? What in heaven’s name could have possessed him to consider that a wise place to sit? Then again, poor dear Humpty was never the sharpest tool in the kit. I suppose we mustn’t fault him too much. It is a sad business, little Alice, and I pity his poor mother. Mrs. Dumpty nearly cracked her own shell when she heard the news, they say.
I shall continue to anticipate our tea time. Does a fortnight from Thursday suit you? The cakes may be quite stale by then but I suppose I can whip up another batch.
Do drop me a line to let me know that you are most definitely coming.
With regards,
Mother Goose
Dear Reader,
If you’ve found this note, it’s because I’ve fallen and cracked into a thousand pieces. I’m sure the King will have sent his men to try to fix me but it’s no use. I knew full well the risk I took in sitting on this wall. It is a dangerous place for one so breakable as I. But I can’t help it. I am waiting for someone. I spoke to her once before and it was the most wonderful five minutes of my life. I tried to speak the happiness that was in my heart. But she walked away confused. So I am waiting for her to come back to the wall, to my wall. And then I was going to tell her what she had become to me. I suppose it’s too late for that now.
Give my love, all my love, to Alice and tell her something that will make her happy.
Humpty Dumpty
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
pale blue dot
Space is awfully quiet
When you were growing up, you saw your father beat your mother
And you swore you would never do the same thing
The hushed sun wind blowing out through the stillness
You heard the screams and saw the tears and the blood
and the bruises that the makeup never quite covered up
It’s cold and dark, full of whispers silent as snowfall
And now your girlfriend is buying makeup to cover up her bruises
And you know you’re caught in the spiral, the web, the cycle
There’s just light and dark and weightlessness
But your little five-year-old self is still crying inside
He’s still scared and tired and lost and broken
And Voyager I turned and saw us
A little bigger than a dust speck caught in a cosmic sunbeam
Isn’t it funny that we’re all just broken people
Looking for some glue to paste us back together?
When you were growing up, you saw your father beat your mother
And you swore you would never do the same thing
The hushed sun wind blowing out through the stillness
You heard the screams and saw the tears and the blood
and the bruises that the makeup never quite covered up
It’s cold and dark, full of whispers silent as snowfall
And now your girlfriend is buying makeup to cover up her bruises
And you know you’re caught in the spiral, the web, the cycle
There’s just light and dark and weightlessness
But your little five-year-old self is still crying inside
He’s still scared and tired and lost and broken
And Voyager I turned and saw us
A little bigger than a dust speck caught in a cosmic sunbeam
Isn’t it funny that we’re all just broken people
Looking for some glue to paste us back together?
mirror smiles
when I look in the mirror, i’m very good at faking a smile
i have to practice to make sure that you don’t see the shattered me
i bet you practice mirror smiles too
i have to practice to make sure that you don’t see the shattered me
i bet you practice mirror smiles too
sat on a wall
Can you send the King’s Men over?
All of them? I need all of them
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
Send the horses too
Send the King’s Men and all their horses
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
Did you know that from the top of the wall
you can see the whole Kingdom?
The castle turrets
The grimy hovels
The people
When the sun rises, it bathes everything in gold
And the light shines into the darkness
Can you send the King’s Men over?
All of them? I need all of them
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
All of them? I need all of them
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
Send the horses too
Send the King’s Men and all their horses
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
Did you know that from the top of the wall
you can see the whole Kingdom?
The castle turrets
The grimy hovels
The people
When the sun rises, it bathes everything in gold
And the light shines into the darkness
Can you send the King’s Men over?
All of them? I need all of them
I’ve fallen and shattered, you see
Monday, February 13, 2012
faith and hope
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead...
Romans 4:19
Christian, have you looked at your body and considered it as good as dead? Have you looked at your situation and considered it hopeless? Have you looked at your circumstances and considered them bleak? So did Abraham. Nearly one hundred years of age and with a barren wife, he clung to the promise of a son. Abraham believed God and did not weaken in his faith despite being certain that the very real facts of age and infertility made the promise of a natural born son impossible.
Abraham hoped against hope and was given a son. Christian, we serve that same God. We serve the God of Abraham. The God who gives an old man and his barren wife a son. The God who sacrificed His own Son for our redemption. Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God and in His steadfast love. Call to mind the steadfast love of the Lord and have hope.
Romans 4:19
Christian, have you looked at your body and considered it as good as dead? Have you looked at your situation and considered it hopeless? Have you looked at your circumstances and considered them bleak? So did Abraham. Nearly one hundred years of age and with a barren wife, he clung to the promise of a son. Abraham believed God and did not weaken in his faith despite being certain that the very real facts of age and infertility made the promise of a natural born son impossible.
Abraham hoped against hope and was given a son. Christian, we serve that same God. We serve the God of Abraham. The God who gives an old man and his barren wife a son. The God who sacrificed His own Son for our redemption. Why so downcast, oh my soul? Put your hope in God and in His steadfast love. Call to mind the steadfast love of the Lord and have hope.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Toy Stories
I watched Toy Story 2 again tonight. It was the first time I had seen it for years. In fact, until tonight, Toy Story 3 is the most recent part in the franchise that I’ve seen by a long stretch.
It was weird.
The last lines in the movie are an exchange between Buzz and Woody. The two friends are standing on the windowsill, a party going on in the room behind them, and they watch Andy helping little Molly take her wobbling steps out to the van and towards Mom. Buzz turns and asks Woody “You still worried?” “About Andy? Naw. It’ll be fun while it lasts,” Woody responds. “I’m proud of you, Cowboy,” Buzz tells him. Woody smiles and puts his hand on the spaceman’s shoulder. “Besides,” he says, “when it all ends I'll have old Buzz Lightyear to keep me company. For infinity and beyond.” And then the music swells and the film ends with a Motown penguin and his three Barbie backup singers crooning “You’ve got a friend in me” complete with disco ball sparkles. It’s lighthearted and fun. And when I first saw it in the theaters as a twelve year old kid, I left with a smile and a spring in my step.
Fast forward eleven years to 2010. I’m now 23 years old, graduated from college, a working girl. Toy Story 3 comes out and I gleefully rush to the theater to see it. A Toy Story Trilogy. How cool is that?
And then we get the last scene. And I’m sitting there in the dark of the movie theater, blue glow of the screen on my face, and the tears unashamedly dripping down my face. Because grownup Andy is there. And Buzz. And Woody.
And they are saying goodbye.
And Woody’s got old Buzz Lightyear to keep him company for infinity and beyond. And I can’t stop crying as I watch Andy drive away, heading off to college, leaving behind his childhood, watching it disappear in his rearview mirror.
When I was twelve, the thought of saying goodbye to my childhood seemed ridiculously far away. There was a disco ball in the last scene of Toy Story 2. Honestly, how hard could it be when there is a disco ball?
It’s hard.
We were discussing this after the film tonight. And my little sister, eight years old going on twenty-five, remarked that in all the other films, Woody fought to get back to Andy. Her insight floored me. It’s true.
In the original Toy Story, Woody battles a delusional Buzz Lightyear and a vicious brace-faced Sid to get back to Andy.
In Toy Story 2, he fights the lure of popularity and a crazy loveless Prospector to get back to Andy.
In Toy Story 3, our brave cowboy struggles against a bitter traitorous stuffed bear to get back to Andy.
In every story, he gets back to Andy. And then, in the final episode, after all the battles and struggles and pain and hardfought victories, he lets go. He says to Andy “It’s been a good run, kid. I never gave up on you. I’ve always been there for you. And now it’s time for you to grow up and I’m gonna miss you.” And he says it all without moving a muscle.
I still cry when I see that scene. I suppose I’m still learning how to say goodbye. I suppose I’ll be learning that lesson forever.
So long, Woody. And thanks.
It was weird.
The last lines in the movie are an exchange between Buzz and Woody. The two friends are standing on the windowsill, a party going on in the room behind them, and they watch Andy helping little Molly take her wobbling steps out to the van and towards Mom. Buzz turns and asks Woody “You still worried?” “About Andy? Naw. It’ll be fun while it lasts,” Woody responds. “I’m proud of you, Cowboy,” Buzz tells him. Woody smiles and puts his hand on the spaceman’s shoulder. “Besides,” he says, “when it all ends I'll have old Buzz Lightyear to keep me company. For infinity and beyond.” And then the music swells and the film ends with a Motown penguin and his three Barbie backup singers crooning “You’ve got a friend in me” complete with disco ball sparkles. It’s lighthearted and fun. And when I first saw it in the theaters as a twelve year old kid, I left with a smile and a spring in my step.
Fast forward eleven years to 2010. I’m now 23 years old, graduated from college, a working girl. Toy Story 3 comes out and I gleefully rush to the theater to see it. A Toy Story Trilogy. How cool is that?
And then we get the last scene. And I’m sitting there in the dark of the movie theater, blue glow of the screen on my face, and the tears unashamedly dripping down my face. Because grownup Andy is there. And Buzz. And Woody.
And they are saying goodbye.
And Woody’s got old Buzz Lightyear to keep him company for infinity and beyond. And I can’t stop crying as I watch Andy drive away, heading off to college, leaving behind his childhood, watching it disappear in his rearview mirror.
When I was twelve, the thought of saying goodbye to my childhood seemed ridiculously far away. There was a disco ball in the last scene of Toy Story 2. Honestly, how hard could it be when there is a disco ball?
It’s hard.
We were discussing this after the film tonight. And my little sister, eight years old going on twenty-five, remarked that in all the other films, Woody fought to get back to Andy. Her insight floored me. It’s true.
In the original Toy Story, Woody battles a delusional Buzz Lightyear and a vicious brace-faced Sid to get back to Andy.
In Toy Story 2, he fights the lure of popularity and a crazy loveless Prospector to get back to Andy.
In Toy Story 3, our brave cowboy struggles against a bitter traitorous stuffed bear to get back to Andy.
In every story, he gets back to Andy. And then, in the final episode, after all the battles and struggles and pain and hardfought victories, he lets go. He says to Andy “It’s been a good run, kid. I never gave up on you. I’ve always been there for you. And now it’s time for you to grow up and I’m gonna miss you.” And he says it all without moving a muscle.
I still cry when I see that scene. I suppose I’m still learning how to say goodbye. I suppose I’ll be learning that lesson forever.
So long, Woody. And thanks.
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