Henry didn’t like being referred to as the “dummy”. Well, no one does do they? But he did have a job with Yuley Simmons, the talented ventriloquist from Las Vegas.

Although Henry couldn’t move his own arms or legs, or head and especially not his own mouth, Yuley was very adept at manipulating Henry so that the audience actually thought that Henry was alive and could talk.
When Henry’s lips were moving, Yuley’s weren’t, and that is the essence of ventriloquism isn’t it?
Henry would sit in a large box backstage between shows with nothing to do. There were no lines to memorize and he didn’t have to worry about sleeping through a show. Yuley always got him at just the right time and directed all of Henry’s moving parts when they were on stage. Henry didn’t even mind the spotlights shining directly into his eyes since his head was made out of wood!
But one afternoon in July, Henry was thinking about his right hand and it began to move. He looked down and found that he could lift it up and lower it. Then he moved his left hand, then his head and finally his mouth and he said “Wow!” in his OWN VOICE!
“Wait until Yuley finds out about this!” he thought.
But wait! If Henry didn’t tell Yuley about his newly discovered abilities, Henry could exert some control over what Yuley was trying to make Henry do and say.
Henry recalled that there was a yellow and black book in the dressing room titled “VENTRILOQUISM FOR DUMMIES” and with Henry’s new ability to do so, he opened the lid of his box and grabbed the book and read it clear through!
“So THAT’S how it’s done!” Henry was amazed and empowered by his new knowledge.
The very next show when Yuley thought that he was speaking and moving for Henry, Henry said…”Wait! I’m NOT a DUMMY…maybe you are!” And Henry turned his head and lifted his arm and pointed to Yuley!
The crowd loved it and laughed and some shouted “Yeah! You go Henry. You tell him!”
“What are you doing?” whispered Yuley.
“I’m claiming equality in the act Yuley.” Henry whispered back, without moving his lips by the way!
Yuley could do nothing but smile at the audience.
“Move your mouth.” Henry demanded and Yuley did so.”
Then Henry shouted “Now which one is the dummy now?”…and the audience went wild.
“Take a drink of water.” Henry told Yuley.
As Yuley drank, Henry recited “Mary Had A Little Lamb!”
The crowd went crazy again.
It’s been a while since that first show when Yuley became the “Dummy” and now Henry has his own five bedroom home with swimming pool and drives a new Porsche.
The marquee outside of the Las Vegas showroom reads “Henry and his Dummy Yuley!…appearing nightly.”

As the shells were cracking
The space grew lacking
We wanted to spread our new wings
It was hard to rest
In that tight little nest
Me and my four new sib-lings

After weeks of just sitting
Mom was off flitting
We waited with some sense of dread
Our mouths were held open
We’re always hopin’
We’d be the first to be fed

The grubs kept a comin’
Our Mom sure was somethin’
She could find food with the best
But as we grew older
My siblings grew bolder
There was less food and no rest

The eating’s not easy
Worms make me queasy
But you must never be meek
So I do my best
To live in a nest
Where I am just the fifth beak

I ‘d like a menu more varied
But when she got married
Mom’s motherly instinct took hold
And while I am peeping
It’s bugs I’ll be eating
But this food routine’s gettin’ old

The day came for flyin’
My siblings were crying
But I was up for the dare
Mom took me to the ledge
I looked over the edge
And said” Man that’s a long way down there”

“Go ahead try
I know you can fly
We’re birds…that’s what we do”
“I’m not scared of flight
I’m afraid of the height…
I’ll just wait over here ’til they’re through”

“Trust me you’ll like it”…
“I think I’ll just hike it
I’m hoping on hopping through life”
“You’ve just got to fly
And I’ll show you why
Just watch as I soar with no strife”

Mom flew through the air
Without any care
She circled about in the sky
I watched her in awe
And though I just saw
I just couldn’t, and wouldn’t, dare try

“I can’t see the ground
I might go straight down!
And I bet if I crashed you would cry”
“Oh sure you can do it
Put wings and mind to it
And you’ll soon fly well as I”

“Just flap your wings
God gave you those things
So we birds could look down on the rest”
I flapped ’round a bit
But then I just quit
“I… think I’ll… look down from this nest!”

Then Dad came along
Just finished his song
And Mom whispered and pointed to me
“It’s time to go son
You’re the last one
And we’ve other places to be”

He nudged my behind
And though I declined
It was over the edge I did fling
I peeked at the ground
Getting closer I found
So I panicked and flapped both my wings

Well wonder of wonders
The air that rushed under
Was lifting and turning me round
I moved this and that
Flapped like a bat
And soared up above that hard ground

I could go over there
I could go anywhere
Mom’s right, I could fly like a bird
“Look what he’s done
Aren’t you proud of our son?”
But ’twas I who had final word!

“Wow!” I extolled
As I flew barrel rolls
And waved my wings to the rest
“That’s no place for me
I’ve got places to see”
I bid happy goodbye to the nest

“OOOhhh…my sole is sore!” said Lefty running slowly to his twin.
“Yeah…it’s my heel that suffers on these long….I mean LOOOOONG runs!” Righty was rubbing his heel with both ends of his laces.
“Why couldn’t we have been ‘walking’ shoes….but NOOOO!!!…
Or….or…bedroom slippers….yeah they’re the ones that have it easy.” Righty was moaning rather loudly now, his tongue flapping up and down.
“And the dirt…and the mud….we have to put up with that stuff too!” Lefty was whining also.
” I’ve got a small cinder stuck in the thirteenth track on my sole…but does she notice…I DON’T THINK SO!”
“And where IS the talc…I can’t even stand myself after one of these runs until I get my talc!”
Lefty and Righty were not happy as anyone could tell.
Then a small sad voice spoke from way back in the closet.
“You two…are…lucky!”
“Wha…huh?” Both of the running shoes turned to look back into the dark corner and saw an old scratched brown shoe with a broken heel.
“I NEVER get out anymore and….sniff… probably never will again.”
“Ah…well…cheer up old sole….ah….well….we can be friends and tell you all about what’s going on if you’d like.”
“Oh….would you….that would be….great. And do you think you could find some brown shoe polish and a cobbler that makes house calls?”
“Ah…not sure we can do anything about that pal.”
Then whispering to each other…”Lefty…I guess things could be a lot worse than they are. We should be happy doing what we were made for and try to do it the best we can instead of complaining!”
“Yeah…I guess you’re right.”
Then the door of the closet opened…and both running shoes smiled and sighed gleefully…”AH…the TALC!”

Now you may think that a skunk and a skink

Would have nothing to do with each other

But the two were friends as strange as that sounds

And behaved like sister and brother

The blue and red skink was quick as a wink

And loved to sit in the sun

But the skunk did his stinking and all of his thinking

Well after the day’s sun was done

You could easily tell that skinks do not smell

You’d never know for sure they’d been there

But not with a skunk for they surely stunk

‘Cause it takes hours to just clear the air

So why would these two pal around like they do

If they weren’t having a jolly good time?

‘Cause they needed a friend on whom to depend

And both wanted to be in this rhyme!

HELLO…Hello…hello…said Echo from the cave

She couldn’t but she wanted to… add a little wave

She also had to always….stay hidden from the view

And never ever speak unless she was spoken to

Though she lived in canyons, chambers and some far off hills

She never started conversations about her life on rocks and rills

Her role was to wait silently…of this she wasn’t fond

Because she had to hold her voice and only could respond

But Echo had a secret that she would never share

She whistles, yells and shouts a lot when no one else is there

A hummingbird was humming around

Making his smooth humming sound

While the canary was singing

Dulcet tones his throat bringing

Neither aware that the other’s around

Then the hummingbird sat on a limb

And the canary looked over at him

“Pardon me Chum Aren’t you the guy that can hum?”

“Yes and you’re the bird that sings on a whim!”

The canary felt somewhat dumb

Admitting that he wished he could hum

“Well I have no choice

I’ve no singing voice…

Oh I wish that I could sing some!”

“I’ll teach you to hum if you teach me to sing”

“Yes think of the joy we could both bring!”

So they each gave some lessons

But ended confessin’

That neither had learned anything!

“I guess I must do and I guess you must too…

Be happy for the talent we’ve got”

“So I’ll sing in the Spring”…

“And I’ll hum everything”…

“Can we be someone else?

I guess not!”

It was the middle of the night on a tiny farm in Placidville County and Dooley the Rooster was sleeping soundly when suddenly he awoke with a very sore throat. “I hope I’m not getting a cold” he thought to himself but since roosters can’t chew cough drops he just tried to go back to sleep hoping that he would get better before morning. After all, Dooley had his job to do as the official alarm clock of Small Town Farm. He couldn’t imagine what farmer Jones would think if Dooley didn’t crow in the dawn with his loud but scratchy “Cock A Doodle Doo”.

In fact sometimes Dooley was cock a doodle doodaling before Chester the rooster at the next farm would even be awake. Dooley heard that Chester was a bit lazy and though Dooley had never actually met Chester, the hens told Dooley that they had heard Chester wasn’t nearly as good at alarm clocking as Dooley.

But Dooley’s soreness kept getting worse and worse until when Dooley tried to clear his throat…nothing happened! No sound came out of his upturned beak…not even a whisper. “Oh My!” thought Dooley…because the sun was just inches from breaking above the Eastern horizon and his sore throat was as silent as a pile of dirt!

In two minutes the sun peaked its orange round head up over the Eastern fields and Dooley got up on the roof of the henhouse and threw back his head and opened his beak and tried as hard as he could but absolutely NO sound came out! Though Dooley tried and tried just silent air came out of his beak. Dooley attempted to Cock A Doodle Do for nearly an hour until he finally was so tired that he had to lie down on the roof shingles and he quickly fell asleep.

It was almost nine AM when Dooley woke up to the sound of farmer Jones yelling “DOOLEY…DOOLEY…what’s the matter with you rooster? We’ve all overslept because of you and the pigs didn’t get fed and the cows didn’t get milked and Ma Jones didn’t make me breakfast and…and…I’m really upset with you!”

Dooley tried to cackle down to farmer Jones but nothing came out again…but farmer Jones looked up to see Dooley trying to cackle or cluck or whatever roosters say when they aren’t Cock A Doodle Doodling and he said “Oh Dooley…have…you…LOST your voice?”

So Dooley pointed his right wing at his throat and tried again but just quiet air came out! Then off in the distance Dooley heard old Chester from the next farm over…crowing. “Lot of good that old rooster does crowing at 9 AM…But…well…at least Chester CAN crow.”

Dooley felt really sad now and slowly came down from his crowing place on the roof and farmer Jones picked him up and said…”Dooley…I think you have rooster laryngitis…I don’t know how long that lasts but I do have a great idea!”

Well, the farm day went by and then night time came and then all of the animals and farmer and Mrs. Jones went to bed and so did Dooley. About 4 AM Dooley woke up and tried out his Cock A Doodle Doodling voice but he still had rooster laryngitis or whatever farmer Jones called it, but as the sun peaked up over the Eastern fields Dooley remembered farmer Jones’ great idea…grabbed the battered old brass trumpet the farmer had given him and blew a song called ‘Reveille”.. Toot Toot Tooty Toot…and the lights went on in the farmhouse and the cows mooed and the pigs grunted and the hens cackled and the whole farm and EVEN the neighbor’s farm lit up and began their day right on time thanks to Dooley and his big brass trumpet.

Dooley eventually got his Cock A Doodle Doodling voice back but still blew the trumpet on special mornings…and Small Town Farm never woke up late again…EVER!

Is there really a guy named Jack Frost?
Whose job it is to crisscross
The northern states all
At the end of the fall
Making sure that summer is lost

I can see that he’s been around
In the morning I look on the ground
If there’s lots of white
He came by last night
But who knows where he can be found?

I don’t really believe in him
I think it’s just somebody’s whim
I mean where does he go?
Is the next guy Jack Snow?
His existence seems rather dim

Mom says it’s just an old tale
That he coats every hill and each dale
But I’d ensure early spring
When Jack Thaw does his thing
I’d put that Jack Frost in jail!

The day started out real nice
I was happy fresh and new
Brightly colored on my shell
That boiling thing was through

I was resting in a basket
With other eggs so fancy
We were placed there very carefully
By our 8 year old named Nancy

We jiggled ’round as we took a ride
To the grassy park in town
Then we each in turn were gently placed
And hidden on the ground

It was very hard to see beyond
Those real high blades of grass
But I felt very comfortable
As the time did pass

Then I heard the squealing children
Getting closer to my place
I saw as some went by me
I even saw their face

But they all passed and let me be
Maybe I’m too small
I have no arms to part the grass
No feet to help stand tall

Then the noises became distant
And soon no more were heard
“Hey anyone… Please find me!”
But I couldn’t speak a word

There was nothing I could do
To make myself be seen
And although I was brightly dyed
I was hidden by grass green

The sun went down and it got cold
And it was growing dark
The happy kids had long since gone
And left me in the park

All the other eggs were warm and safe
And happy they were found I bet
They were comfortable in their new homes
Being treated like a pet

But as I fought to stay upbeat
And pretend I’m in my bed
I spied a pair of familiar feet
“There you are!” my Nancy said

She picked me up and rescued me
She warmed me with her hand
She carried me back home with her
And put me on a stand

“I’m so glad that you weren’t found”
As she smiled and looked at me
‘Cause you’re my favorite one of all
The Easter eggs I see!”

I’ve got a place of honor
On the center shelf
We’re both happy that I wasn’t found
Nancy and myself

I have to go to the dentist today
And Boy, I just can’t wait
There are toys and games in the waiting room
It’s gonna be just great

They’ll be lots of other children there
Waiting for their turn
But I might just be the only one
Happy to return

I wasn’t smiling late last week
I had my back tooth drilled
And it didn’t feel much better
When I had to have it filled

But I’m looking forward to today
I’m as happy as can be
‘Cause today I’m not the patient
It’s my sister Melanie!