The Curious Elf

“Beyond a certain point there is no return. This point has to be reached.”

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The Curious Elf

Dedicated to my 5-year-old grandson Alex.

~

An angel-eyed, velvet-clad, curious elf,
while sitting alone on the very top shelf,
said it’s strange, even if I do say so myself,
to be a curious elf, way up high on a shelf.

But I woke up this morning and thought to myself,
I wonder what is up there so high on that shelf?
Perhaps it’s a treasure I can keep for myself?
Curiosity made me climb from my leaf to this shelf.

I like being part of a family of elves,
6 sisters, 5 brothers, in all I’m the twelfth.
But it certainly isn’t much fun on this shelf.
This is just not a place for an angel-eyed elf!

Sometimes it’s hard being a velvet-clad elf,
I forgot to remember, climbing up on this shelf,
that I’m not big enough to get down by myself.
“Won’t somebody please help this curious elf?”

“Oh why did I ever climb up here on this shelf?
I think I knew it was hopeless to get down by myself,
but I thought, what the heck, it’s such a curious shelf.
It’s sure scary, being stranded all alone by myself!”

~ ~

So if you’re no bigger than this quite tiny elf,
don’t got climbing for things, high on shelves, by yourself.
Find somebody big to get stuff off the high shelf,
or you might get stuck like this curious elf.

~ ~ ~

rob kistner © 2019

NOTE: This is a Seuss influenced, existential nursery rhyme, inspired by the quote here at the top, from nihilist philosopher and writer, Franz Kafka. This is about an elf who knowingly pushed himself to the probable point of no return — and regretted it.

 

  • Click below to read more existential nursery rhymes at dVerse:

    Poetics: Kafka for Kids

  • 28 thoughts on “The Curious Elf”

    1. Great to see you writing in spite of your visual challenges. I just had cataract surgery yesterday, and thank the gods, I’m feeling boffo today. Your Elf nursery rhyme is sweet, yet it contains a parent’s message as well; rocking the prompt yet again.

    2. Ah, but don’t you know how fun it is to go up, and grow up? This reminds me of once when I was young and my family and some friends were picnicking in Eldorado Canyon, a mecca for rock climbers. I went off with a friend and we climbed up a hundred feet. It wasn’t straight vertical, but I can see now how freaked out our parents were when they saw us on top of the cliff. Luckily, we found a better, hard scrabble way down. We were proud, but our parents? Not so much. It’s a great lesson in your tale though: contrary to popular belief, going down is often much more difficult.

      1. If I was your father we would have had a serious heart to heart discussion. My grandson, who is turning 6 today, is in gymnastics for 3 years now. Watching him on the rings or climbing thr knotted rope to the top of the gymnasium, puts my heart in my throat — but he is as agile and balanced as a skinny little monkey… and he is quite strong. In my limited climbing experiences I definitely found it much more difficult coming back down.

    3. I think there is wisdom in not climbing, but isn’t it boring to always be wise. Maybe you need someone to always help you get back again.

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