Part One:
When Miss D was 1 year and 2 months old, the 3rd day of August rolled around.
It was the day of THE BIG MOVE. Mama, Gran’Pun, Auntie Sid, and Uncle Mister Grady Pants were moving Mama Mosa’s things and Miss D’s things out of the big Sky Street house into the cozy Silver Blvd. house.
Close to the new house, Gra’Moose pushed Miss D in her stroller all around the new neighborhood and all the way up Maple Street to the tippy tippy top.
On the way up the steep hill, Gra’Moose kept singing songs, trying to catch her breath between verses. As the hill got steeper and steeper, the songs got shorter and shorter. Gra’Moose zigged and she zagged up that hill. She pulled and she pushed the stroller up that hill. She told Miss D all that was in her heart, and about the hopes she had that this new home would be filled with love and sunshine, maybe some cats and much happiness. She talked about the adventures they would have exploring the new neighborhood.
Gra’Moose didn’t know it, but somewhere on that long walk up the hill, while she was singing and talking and walking, zigging and zagging, zagging and zigging, and walking and talking and singing, Miss D fell fast asleep in her stroller. It was a hot August day, but a cool breeze came up Maple Street from the valley below cooling them both.
Near the top of the hill, on the south side of the road, was a huge patch of BLACK BERRY BUSHES. “Oh, D, Look at all these ripe black berries!” Said Gra’Moose and she kneeled down and saw that Miss D’s eyes were shut and that her sweet head had drooped to one side. She propped her head up with the little soft calico horse and let the stroller rest safe against the curb with the brake on.
Then Gra’Moose began to pick black berries. She tasted many and she put some in the snack tub which was no longer full of raisins and nuts. She put berries in her hat and in a small blanket. She even emptied D’s water cup and filled that with black berries! There were so MANY black berries and they were so sweet and good. Gra’Moose didn’t think the birds would mind sharing some. She rested all of the black berries on the shade canopy of the stroller and filled the pockets of her pants and blouse with even MORE black berries. Only when there was no more room for any more black berries inside her, or on the shade canopy, did she release the brake and begin the long walk back down the hill toward the new house.
Miss D continued to sleep soundly as her Gra’Moose held fast to the stroller and walked down and down and down. Gra’Moose was so happy to be with D and to have found sweet black berries for the whole family to enjoy after their long day of moving, that her spirits soared and she began to feel lighter and lighter and lighter on her feet. Soon she felt so light that she could no longer feel her feet slap, slap, slapping against the pavement. She saw that the stroller also lifted off the road. The breeze caught the shade canopy and the hem of Gra’Mooses’ blouse and up they floated... up and out over the entire valley! D looked wide eyed and wide awake now! She and Gra’Moose smiled into one another’s eyes and looked down. They saw the white castle on the hill, they saw Jordan Park, they saw Peter’s house next door and Ana and Summer out walking with their mama Marie. They saw Kay and Niedra who lived across the street. Only they didn’t yet know any of the names of the folks who would become their friends, or anything yet about D’s new neighborhood. They simply marveled at all the things this lovely wind revealed to them.
Oh, what a glorious wind. It blew them over the rooftops and over the back yard of the new house and dropped them gently down right next to the sand box on the grass with a soft thump.
All the black berries tumbled out of their containers - even out of the blanket, and all Gra’Moose’s pockets. They tumbled and rumbled, rumbled and tumbled along the walk-way and up the steps to a big white pail on the deck near the kitchen door.
With a kaplink, kaplank kasplat, all the blackberries jumped, or were they blown by the strong wind(?), into the big white pail.
Gra’Moose lifted Miss D up out of her stroller, opened the back door and brought the pail of blackberries in with them. Just as the back door closed, they heard the front door bell ring.
“Halooo!” they recognized Mama Mosa’s voice.
Together, D and her Gra’Moose opened the door to welcome the tired moving crew.
“Won’t you please come in and have some blackberries?” D invited her mama Mosa, her Auntie Sid, her Gran’Pun and her Uncle Mister Grady Pants.
They sat and ate the delicious blackberries until they all had purple tongues and purple chins and purple fingers from all those sweet, sweet blackberries from the top of Maple Street.
D said, “Mama, I had a dream about flying over our new neighborhood. A strong wind showed us that this will be a house full of love and sunshine, maybe some cats and much, much happiness.”
And so it is!
Part Two:
Devlyn at four, flies through the door a whirlwind of coiled energies
She climbs in the car, we’re off, but not far, in search of sweet wild blackberries
At the top of ol’ Maple we park and are able to see where the stand used to be
Alas it’s diminished, its fruit nearly finished by birds, squirrels and people like me.
A man of near eighty with tummy quite weighty tells of the recent hack back
Of the huge stand of berries - some big as cherries - all pulled before ripening to black
The neighbor was tired of what was required to get at the berries through thorns
With gloves on, he hacked and pulled the whole tract out like a bull by the horns.
For the folks on that hill, it’d been such a thrill to eat them; they missed them a lot
The old gent recounted a tale which we doubted of the Blackberry Fairy named Dot
“She lives in the bush, gives each berry a push to the sun so it ripens to purple
If you pick ‘em too soon or dried up like a prune, a gigantic resounding Burp’ll
Come belching up from, your tender tum tum so better let unripe ones rest...”
Just then a small fairy hurled a wee berry putting belief to the test
With hands on her hips and a scold on her lips, she turned her wee head to the gent,
“I don’t make them ripen, the sun does the striping,” she said with a fairy accent,
“My job’s to sweeten, not push or beat them, so get it straight when you tell the story!”
The gent gave a bow, put a hand to his brow "Give me pardon, dear fairy, I implore ye."
Wind whipped D's skirt. I heard her blurt, “Hey, I’m floating!” then we heard thunder!
My blouse caught the breeze and quick as you please the wind lifted me and the gent
Up over the trees, we all bent our knees wonderin' what this strange weather meant.
Back down on the ground, with eyes big and round the fairy was waving her wand
With a look wild and fierce and a wail that could pierce the depths of the deepest fish pond,
The fairy kept waving her wand, we were braving the wildest of winds as we flew
Over rooftop and tree, large birds were we three, enjoying the incredible view.
On, over the forest, hearing sweet birdie chorus, we floated on this magic breeze
We looked down and saw such wonders with awe eventually landing with ease
On the lawn where D lives, near the sand toys and sieves. The sky was lit-up with pure gold
D and I walked the gent home while he talked of how the fairy was bold
To keep us aloft, give a landing so soft that not one of us wanted to stop
Her magic was strong he said on the long walk up the rise to the top
We puffed up that hill to the berry stand still it looked more barren than bare
On closer inspection we noticed a section where the brambles and thorns gave way
Three bowls full of berries, were left by the fairy not one of us knew what to say
Thank you, Dot Fairy, these lovely Blackberries fulfill all of our fondest wishes.
And thanks for the ride, where-EVER you hide, know that we three are plum grateful
We hope you may know that we three hope to grow even more for next year's plate-full.
Ta-ta and farewell, we're under your spell and bid you a fond adieu.
Good night and sweet dreams, dance on moonbeams the blackberry wind loves you too!
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