A Poem From Earl, Age: 3.

I've gone off the deep end recently, falling in love with this child Earl, son of my friend Becca. He's almost 3. He's the oldest child of a poet/ teacher/editor and social worker/ songwriter/ musician. I see this family at church on Sundays, with LuLu, Earl's baby sister. I have a deep appreciation for how these children make their way at mass, and afterwards, consume St. Philips' homemade donuts with crazy abandon. (Interviewing Earl this past Sunday, for example, he pulled pieces of chocolate covered cake donut from his face, with this remark, "Ohh! A burger!" I laughed so hard. Then, went on to inquire about the following original poem of his. For the record, Earl recalled with absolute precision the title of this poem, including the images of the lip-stick wearing monkeys...

Oh! But I'm ahead of myself. Read on for the email from his mom:
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Hi Melissa:

Earl was bugging me tonight while I was trying to make last minute edits
to my poem for this evening's writing group. Sitting on my lap and listening to me read aloud parts of my poem. I did not get much editing done.

He, on the other hand, told me that he had a poem and he began to recite
this in a Poetry Reading Voice (children are extremely imitative, ahem):


THE TIGERS ARE IN THE JUNGLE AND THE MONKEYS ARE IN THERE PUTTING LIPSTICK ON

The kitties are in the tree
still and quiet.
The fish are sleeping
and the whales are snoring
and the sharks are quiet
and soft in their nest.


Doesn't that just blow your mind? The title came a few minutes later
when I asked him what he wanted to call his poem.

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This universe calls to me:
Earl's jungle, rife with lipstick-wearing monkeys.
And his sea where whales snore and sharks live in nests.

God is so alive and well in young boys. In all children.

I love and believe like Earl.
With a fierce imagination that seems to contain truth -- if I simply speak it.

Now: will it manifest?

In Peace, Faith, the questions, and with lots of humor,
Melissa