Where The Child Things Are

By Maurice Randak

Emma wore her polar bear shirt and made mischief with the cell phone and the sofa cushions

and mischievously chewed her blankie

Mama called Emma "CHILD THING!" and Emma said "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" so Emma was sent to her crib without eating anything.

That very night in Emma's room a flower garden grew

and grew and grew and grew until Emma's ceiling hung with French tulips and purple iris

and an ocean tumbled by with a private yacht for Emma and she sailed off through night and day (drooling all the way to San Francisco Bay)

and in and out of weeks and almost over a year to where the child things are. During the year she collected alot of dirty laundry, but decided not to leak it to the press.

And when Emma came to the place where the child things are they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible manicures

till Emma said "BE STILL!" and tamed them with the magic trick of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once and they were frightened and called Emma the most child-like thing of all

and made Emma queen of all child things. "And now," cried Emma,"let the child rumpus start!"

the intensity of the rumpus climbed to new heights

the child things staired at the moon, swung from the bannister, and stepped up their yelling

"Now stop!" Emma said and sent the child things off to bed with wet diapers and no zinc oxide based creme. And Emma the queen of all child things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved her best of all. Then all around from far away across the world, Emma smelled good things to eat and silly books to read so Emma gave up being queen of where the child things are.

But the child things cried," Oh please don't go - we'll eat you up - we love you so!" And Emma said, "No!" The child things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their terrible claws but Emma stepped into her private boat and waved good-bye, taking the ceremonial rumpus balloon with her as a momento. Emma sailed back over a year and in and out of weeks and through a day.

and into the night of her very own crib where she found her blankie waiting for her. and it was still toasty.