Archives at Zinester: Nov 15, 2005 - Storytime Tapestry Newsletter. Storytime

The Newsletter devoted to spreading love and cultural awareness throughout the world

Friends.? I had a lady to invite me to a meeting on the evening of 17th at 6:30 pm. She bought a Tinker and Poo book.? Would like for me to? speak to? the group about the book, and maybe there would be some who might part with some green to buy the book. This meeting will be in the old Steinmeyer building, second floor.? I know none of you will be able to come, but it was quite a shock to me. She is writing up something about me in the local paper.? I have tried to get a few lines in the paper about the book for some time. Maybe at last.

A very special happy anniversary goes out to George and Chris Walsh, two very good friends of mine.

I don't know where to start this story, I know where to end it. The ending is on a sad note, there is no happy ending. That is because some mindless people made it that way. Some so called do gooders.

Here at the east edge of Beatrice is a institution for people.? You have heard of people short a brick of a load. Well this is a place for people short of maybe two or three bricks a load. Now years ago, there was things for those that could,, things for them to do. Little jobs that is, no task master standing here or there with a whip making anyone slave at something.? It was kind of a labor of love.? There was what one might call farms.? These farms, some was we grow our veggies.? These veggies was trucked out to other institutions of the state.? Now the ones that worked these veggies farms, chopped the weeds, did the work of keeping the soil worked up a bit, they enjoyed it. "Look at my rows, how nice it is. The beans is growing so nice,,no weeds in my couple rows."? That person took great pride in his, or her work.? Then the do gooders got into the act. It is a crime to make these people work. So the farms was cut out. That is the veggie farms. So the goodie two shoes took away this little job some there so enjoyed doing. Also made the state have to buy veggies even more so for the other institutions.

Now part of the land was farmed for another thing. Cattle. MILK COWS.? There is Milk Cows. here. Who takes care of cows?? Well someone is given a cow to care for.? The cow is given a name by that person. The cow gets loving care, brushed, fed, water. It becomes family to that? one person. Much pride? of my pet, my Mollie. Mollie has something to happen that the Vet has to look about. That person is right there, got to make sure my Mollie gets the best of care.?

So here comes the do gooder two shoes again. It is wrong to make these people care for some old cow. Just who said these people had to do this?? They love that animal, they worry about that animal, they brush it, wear out a brush all the time, brushing. That cow is as slick and kept nice looking as any pet any where. It is like a show animal, dog, cat, or whatever that is put in shows for prizes.

So comes the sad day. The milk cows is auctioned off. No more Mollie. Mollie is sold. Here is a sad person, the last brushing, the last time? arms will hug and be around the neck of Mollie, the last minute with my Mollie, then Mollie is no more. Just a memory. What a sad day, tears flowing like a water fall.? Every where one looked that day, many a? sad face, many a tub full of tears. Many went to bed that night bawling like a baby. Their days of taking care of something they had grown to love is over.? Yes? a sad day, thanks,? Mr. Miss. Do Gooder.? ? Thanks for breaking peoples hearts.

There is times the great do goodies just don't see the whole big picture. In this case they? took away something for people to do. Something they loved doing, something that made them feel needed. Those rows of crops was their work of art.? Those milk cows was their pride and joy. You took away a lot this sad day.? You should have been there that sad day, you that think you did so much.? You only did one thing. Your took away the one thing those people loved to have and do.

THEY KEPT PLAYING THE POLICE AND THIEF GAME

Written by: Georgewaters Ojeigbe ??“ Lagos,

Nigeria

gojiegbe@jhplc.com

???Ah, ah, ah, what funny children these are???? I kept asking myself as I watched them perform their origin film making??¦

???No, you have to die this time! You know that I died the other time you shot me but you are now refusing to die.? If that is the case, I am not going to play again.? Give me back the gun I lend to you!???

???No, I am not giving it back to you.? Why should I die when I was not ready before you shot me!? I told you before to hold on until I am ready to play but you did not listen to me.? Okay, I am sorry.? I will die when you shoot me again.???

???No, not so! ? Let me go and hide again and you can find me but if I find you first I will shot you and you will have to dieoooo!???

???Zam??¦ kiah, kiah, kiah??¦??? ? About three boys and a little girl making the sound effect of a Jet Lee or Bruce Lee??™s film with their mouths, all holding different shape of sticks as their guns, they came from behind a fence shouting and throwing themselves on the ground like marshal armies.? Some had their sticks or rather their guns tucked into their knickers.? One of the boys had his hung behind him just the way Rambo would do.? Another had two sticks for himself meaning he is having two guns.? Almost every one of them had stones in their pockets which they claimed are bombs.? Well, just in a world of theirs, on fantasy-island I guess.?

???You are nutty.? We have shot both of you.? You are not dieing!??? ? The four of them said to the two arguing Chinese film boss; they are always in a dreamland feeling like one Jackie Chan or James Bond in a movie.

The little girl??™s voice sounded weak as she tried to make a point in the midst of the under twelve years old boys.? She seem to be about eight or nine years old.? She came along with her elder brother to play this game called ???POLICE AND THIEF (OLE ATI OLOPA)???.

???Shut up! Who asked you the question???? was one of the boys??™ queries to her.

Bold enough, she raised her gun; a piece of firewood with a rope tied to both ends, hanging on her tinny shoulder, making her look like one of the members of Ninja Turtle.? She took a Chinese film pose, pointed her stick-gun at the boy, and as loud as she could, shouted ???Po! Po! Po!???

The boy who she shot went against the rule of the game by refusing to die.? Instead, he came forward, grabbed the girl??™s stick-gun, pulled it away from her shoulder, and threw it on the ground.

The girl raised her hand up, spread her fingers wide to do the waka (shame) sign at the boy.

???Ehnnn me??¦!?? You are abusing my parents!??? the boy remarked.? He threw himself on the girl.?

Both girl and boy on the ground struggling while her elder brother hastened towards them in defence of his little sister.

The rest of the police and thieves rushed to separate the two thieves struggling on the ground.

???Oh, what a poor girl??? brother Georgewaters thought to himself as he rushed straight to the scene to calm the situation or rather to rescue Cat Girl from Hurk Hogan.

???Brother George, he slapped me!???? ???Brother George, she abused my mother!???? These were complains I kept hearing from the different police and thieve.?

Well, I knew exactly what happened and knew what to do.? I needed not to take side otherwise I might sound partial or look like a big fool (broda abaya!).

Although, I had wanted to send them packing from my environment because of the rowdiness they were causing but it dawned on me that many years ago I was in their shoes doing this same game called ???Police and Thief.????

A game in which we kids would select our copartners before going to hide in different places.? We would hide in, or under a cupboard, back of a door, in old abandoned vehicles, or roll ourselves up in big bedspread.? Sometimes, we would climb on high cupboards or put our tinny bodies in a big empty water drum.? Well, just to keep ourselves from been found easily.

In the course of the game, first to find is to shoot first; mostly, it is the first to sound the gun shot effect; means a point on the finder??™s side.? The loser has to pretend to be dead on the floor for some few minutes before getting up to continue the role of a police or thief again.? Well, the one who shot you have to leave first before you can come back to life.? What a game, but it is fun.? Sometimes it ends with real nagging and fighting that always pave way for a worried adult to put a finishing to the game by using the whip on the faking polices and thieves.? A well started police and thief play usually ends up sadly.

My partially interrupting their game of police and thief opened to me a fresh memory of my childhood days.? I realized some stupidity in such a play but well it was just childhood fun which has been passed from one generation to another generation.? The game is now fast decaying due to lot of new fun devices such as computer/video games, parks, home video films, TV cartoon programs and maybe a little bit of school activities.? Notwithstanding some kids, still prefer this game.

I was able to reunite them back to their police and thief game.? They could not have seen the reason why I reunited them back to their game of police and thief instead of discouraging them and they could not have known or felt my own childhood days because they were far from being born into this world then.? Probably, in my days of playing this same game of police and thief with my peers, some adults might have remembered their own childhood.? Generation to generation the secret of our childhood lingers in our hearts.? Some days will come when the same children I am talking about today will also realize of how they had once played their police and thief game.

After I settled them back to their play, they seem to be much reenergized as they all sprung up in unison and dashed towards one direction, after a while to different hiding places.? For the next few minutes, probably close to an hour I kept hearing different sounds of the po, po, bam, bam, kua, kua.? The most sophisticated sound made by one sounded like that of a riffle gun - tra, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta.? Another has his as piam, piam representing electric gun.? For the poor little girl who later had another little girl joined her, she could only device hers to be the cheap po, po sound. ? Her other female colleague could not find any suitable gun sound for herself, instead she kept running after them with one of her sleepers missing from her leg and using her fingers made in the form of a pistol to shoot even at her copartner.? The best she could sound was yo, yo...? She would later tell her victim ???I don tut you???, meaning I have shot you.? She never fell to die even when the whole gang shot at her at the same time.? Since she was not their center of attraction, they had no quarrel with her.

Some of these kids came hiding behind whispering to me in their tinny voice saying, ???Brother George please let them not see me.???? Hiding behind me did not create any difference since the one they tend to hide from already had seen them behind me.? Who have I got hide then!

Before the children could stop their game, it was for the reason that the sun had suddenly gone to bed leaving no room for sight.? After the game, one after the other they started to leave for their different homes.? When the natural film set before me by these kids of faking gangsters had stopped, I gathered myself to go indoor for the was Sunday evening and I have to prepare for Monday??™s work.

If you ever come to Nigeria and you happen to see kids running up and down with different kind of sticks designed in the shape of a gun, just have it in mind that they are only having their fun in the game of police and thief.? You can do them a favour by joining in the game of police and thief. ? Your presence would encourage them the more.

I had a wonderful time watching the kids acting their wonderful film of no auditioning, no rehearsals and no scripts laid out for the play before commencement.? With all perfection and zealousness, these feature leaders played their game despite lack of the missing protocol before a film is shot.? For me I had a wonderful memory brought back to me.?

If I may say, it is not too late for me to still play this game of police and thief.? I can play it with my wife to be right in our apartment.? You can also do the same game of police and a thief with however you wife to.? It can be with your husband, wife, children, grannies, relatives, friends, or your office boss but you can never play it with a real police or a real thief.? All you need is a piece of item that looks like a gun (please no acceptance of real gun for safety sake).? ? You can hide anywhere in the toilet, bathroom, garage, wardrobe, even in the car outside but please exclude the refrigerator and any big cooking pot.? Finally, you have to adopt your style of shooting, the Po! Po! of a thing??¦? giggling hard??¦? Enjoy.

I was born on 21^st April, 1970.? I live in Lagos,

Nigeria

the most populous city in Africa. I sing in a Church music group where I fellowship.? I love sports.? I love admiring the heavens and other wonderful works borne from Jehovah??™s hands.? I discovered the power of writing stories, encouraged by Carol.? Thanks for her existence!? I am pet lover minus snakes; I so much hate this creature called snake but others I prefer.? I like to do lots of home works like creating my art works, gardening, making some home furniture, fitting electrical appliances etc.

? ? ? ? When we're not right with ourselves, we're not right with the world, and we're not right with our God.? It happens to the best of us, brings out the worst in us, and affects the rest of us.

? ? ? ? No one can help us until we're ready to help ourselves.? Often, the least thing has become insurmountable.? If we knew how to make it right, surely, most would.

? ? ? ? Since the beginning of time, people have prayed prayers (for help and guidance) that appear to go unheard.? God has a better plan than taking us around a problem.? It is to our advantage, working a far greater glory, when He takes us through it.

? ? ? ? Bloom where you are planted.? Do what you know to do.? Take the step provided.? Then, He'll show you the next step and the next.

? ? ? ? One day, you'll look back to discover God was growing a most beautiful flower for His garden and that flower was you; sure, steady, faithful, and strong.

? ? ? ? Don't think it strange when God chooses you for a time of growth, I Pe. 4:17.? He wants to love you in ways you've never dreamed.? In all things we are more than conquerors, when we go through it with Him that loved us, (par.) Ro. 8:37.

A Crazy Life

Robert White
poeticrob@hotmail.com

About Me:
I'm a Christian, 47 years of age, divorced with
2 children - Rachel who's studying to become a
nurse and Jonathan [Jonno] who is fast growing
into a fine young man.

I'm interested in writing - since early 2003
anyway, and have now written over 20 poems, 6
or so songs, a couple of short stories and some
other works. I love music and would love to write
songs with meaning touching on all parts of life,
from love to grief, from death to new life, from

Australia

to the world.

You could say that I see
the world now in ways I hadn't noticed when I was
younger and I want to leave a legacy which will
bless and build up others.

Little Things
Tim Kevin
-
I remember when dandelions from a field
Could bring mom a bit of joy unconcealed
An sometimes maybe a tear'd creep out
So you'd not see she'd be dustin' all about
-
Remember blowin the white fluff in the air
An makin' all the wishes you would dare
But now you treat it as just another weed
Your magic flower must be gone to seed
-
Mud puddle's to you are no longer fun
You see muddy shoes and things to shun
Not the sea battles won or rivers to cross
Dams to build, our imagination is at a loss
-
Hear the music but you can't carry a tune
We use to sing out words to the moon
Didn't know it, we'd make up what to say
Seems we lost our rhythm too along the way
-
Didn't we just feel the beat and move to it
Now we sit so self consciously and listen
Where's the spirit that seems to be missin'
Life was fast, now there's time for dissin'
-
Feel wind on your face, messin up yo hair
Do you now brace against it, if it's there
Remember closing your eyes ever so tight
Spreadin' arms an flyin' with all your might
-
Until collapsing on the ground laughing
Or being on a swing and just really trying
Pumping hard to fly into clouds passing by
And disappear into that great big blue sky
-
No wonder God loves the little children
Enjoyin little things life brings now an then
One day you may look back too my friend
To realize how really big the little things were in the end.

About Me:-? Tim Kevin, is the owner of the Yahoo adulthumor group, BICs_Jokers_Wild and resides inPunta Gorda, Florida.

? Agee, Vance;? Apted, Violet;? Baker, Kathy; Batt, Al;? Berry, Nell; Blaine, Pamela

Boda, Ginger;? ? Buhagiar, Victor; Cassady, B.J.;? Cavalera, Robyn; Crider, Mark;?

Liles, Norma; Lilly, Jodi Flesberg; Lock, Joyce; Mazzella, Joe;? Morris, Deepak; Ojeigbe, Georgewaters;

? Petry, Dianna Doles; Roberts, Susan;? Shiveley, Debra; Shaw, Bob; Sims, Richard; Streidel, Saskia; Swarner, Ken; Vaknin, Sam; Verhoeff, Jan

Winterose? @videotron.ca