A Little Girl's Little World

A Little Girl's Little World

For Coralee, Clara, and Susanna

When  you close your eyes my little girl,

When you leave behind our little world,

And into the little land of nod, you're hurled,

Remember these words I tell.

For deep within your little dreams,

There are little truths that transcend what seems,

To be the limitations of our little schemes,

Of this world we buy and sell.

As you sink into your little pillow deep,

When you have finished counting little sheep,

And you finally can get a little sleep,

Picture a peaceful dell.

And in the dell is little path you see,

Follow that path to the little tree,

Say a little prayer and then you will be,

Small enough to fit a snail's shell.

For it's better to be little like a snail,

For the little can see, when bigger folks fail,

And only the tiny can follow this little trail,

Into what only dreams propel.

For at the base of the tree's a little crook,

And a few feet away is a little brook,

And cozy and calm in that little nook,

A fairy has come to dwell.

And if you walk across her little bridge,

You'll see in the valley of the little ridge,

A house not tall, 's just a little smidge,

But quite a story you'll have to tell.

For she'll invite you into her little home,

Simple and plain 'neath the little dome,

You may e'en meet her neighbor the little gnome

For he's always home as well.

And they live to welcome little ones in,

Serving them tea and cakes in their little den,

You'll stay for a while, or a little, then,

You'll soon be under her spell.

For after one little sip of her fairy tea,

And with the magic of each little detail you see,

You'll forget everything your little life used to be,

For you've never felt so well.

But you know there's something a little wrong, or

You just wish you could stay a little bit longer,

If only your sleep was a little bit stronger,

You wouldn't have to say farewell.

But just as she begins another little tale,

Of secrets and legends, of little knights and their grail,

Of the time a little hare was beaten by a snail,

You hear that tolling bell.

One little alarm shakes that world from its seams,

And you'll awake to wonder about your little dreams,

For now everything is again just as it seems,

And you may not be able to tell,

Which was true, your little dreams or here,

For most forget little dreams, year after year,

And the little worlds of their childhood dreams disappear,

But you, my child, have the strength to rebel.

Never, no never of the little let go,

As your little days become ages ago,

If your mind can stay little you will always know

What the world's wisest men ne'er can tell.