“I do not see the world at all; I invent it.”
–from The Diaries of Franz Kafka, 1910-1923
Rilly Boo was a child who was born without eyes.
But his fingers twice as long.
In his crib, when they saw him, the nurses cried.
Such a shame to be so wrong.
What they didn’t know and couldn’t know
Was that Rilly had special powers.
Although he didn’t know of things that grow
Rilly waved his hands – there were flowers!
Ma and Pa Boo took Rilly home
To meet his brothers and sisters
Their eyes grew big as his were gone
Rilly waved his hands – they grew whiskers!
The puppy and kitten loved Rilly
As he played on the rug with them
Rolled, laughed, yipped, meowed, and were silly
Rilly’s hands waved – each puppy and kitten were ten!
Rilly grew to a man in the night
With hair that was long as the ocean
Ma and Pa and the kids were afright
Rilly laughed, said, “Flying’s my notion.”
Rilly stepped outside to the sky
Waved his hands and the clouds came down
“I must go now, I love you, good-bye.”
Waved his hands, he now wore a crown.
They see him sometimes over the lake
But sometimes he is a tree
Sometimes he’s sunshine, with shiny waves
Rilly is what he wants to be.
Amaya is the host of dVerse today. Amaya says:
Use one of [the offered] Kafka quotes either directly within or to inspire a children’s storybook/poem.
Image found here.
Tao Talk 
Oh, to be what you want to be! This is wonderful Lisa.
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:) Thanks Linda. It’s good message for kids to hear.
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Yes, it is!
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To be what you want to be…very good.
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:) Thanks Toni
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I love this Lisa! It hits right at the heart of the Kaka quote, and is wonderfully whimsical!
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Rob thanks!
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wow this is super special, great lesson and lots of romping rhyme that the kids will love!
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Thanks Kate!
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what a briliant little poem, really excellent, you captured it perfectly
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Shrawley thanks and glad you liked it.
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p.s. I bet you could write one heck of a poem for this prompt
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You’re too kind but my poetry is woeful, just don’t get it!!
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darn
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Wonderful, wonderful poem Jade Li. Rilly was so silly.
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Thanks much, Len, glad you enjoyed it. Yes he was :)
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I loved this, Lisa. It was Silly, starring Rilly, but you packed an existential punch, getting across a golden message about disability, acceptance, intolerance, and the inexorable power of imagination; Smiling hard.
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<3 Yay! Your comment tickles me. Thank you.
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I really love this story. :)
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Shawna thank you!
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What a fantastic tale you’ve spun!
I choose the same quote
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Ah! Cool! Will check it out. Glad you liked the tale, Candace.
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Cool! Love your imagination.
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Thanks, Sadje :)
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A pleasure
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What an excellent poem, with its heart in the right place!
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<3 Thank you, Punam.
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My pleasure! 🙂
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Nice tale of Rilly Boo. He’s probably safer in the clouds.
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Thanks Frank
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I love the images, and the last line is perfect. (K)
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Thank you, K. Glad you like it. I wonder what Kafka would say…
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He would feel right at home in the world we’ve created.
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:)
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This was so fanciful and fun. What a beautiful poem! 🙂❤️
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Christine, thanks and glad you enjoyed it <3
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This poem is so surreal and yet full of moral truth, Jade. I love Rilly’s special powers and that he is what he wants to be!
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Glad you liked it, Kim :)
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A wonderful message for children!
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Thanks, Xan. I think so also.
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I like his final transformations the best.
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So do I.
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I love this poem! Full of smiles and an important message 🙂
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Astrid, thanks much and glad you like it :)
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Universal energy flowing through a child ….
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<3 I like that idea, Reena.
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Ah freedom… But I feel for his parents and siblings and pets who waited so long for him and adored him but couldn’t spend a life with him due to his own whims.
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Amaya, he was meant for more than “the usual” and he was born to be who he was. I’m sorry you feel his actions were whims. Most of all, his family saw him in everything in their world and knew to look for him there.
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I really love this story… it had its fun moments and also some sadness. The odd person out and with a name that made me of Boo Radley from How to kill a Mockinbird.
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Bjorn, thank you. Glad you enjoyed the story and now that you mention it, his name is very similar. Maybe used subconsciously? I’m guessing if Rilly had stayed in his current incarnation, he would have suffered a similar fate to Boo.
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So well done! <3
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Thank you, Dr. Grimes :)
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