Once Upon A Table Top Poem by Tom Courtney

Once upon a table top
There sat a cup of tea
For a little man whose table top
Had only chairs for three

And once upon a midnight air
There shined a light above
That little creatures from around
Had never seen or heard of

The little man came out to look
And blew smoke from his pipe
I’ll say that that’s the brightest star
Or a fruit that’s just been ripe

Well said the sparrow responded
I’ve seen the light before
But i never knew what to call it
And i never knew what for

So in to the little man’s house
All the little creatures came
Cause they loved his long white scraggly beard
And he said he had a game

A game the creatures clamored
To get inside the house
There was nary a thing that they loved more
‘cept cheese declared the mouse

But there was barely room inside
With the table and the chairs
So the bear sat right down on the floor
And the bird floated on the airs

The squirrel climbed up anything
He could to sit on top
And the big-eyed fish plopped into the sink
Saying I hope that waters don’t stop

And when it finally seemed that the house would just burst
And all the little creatures were in
The little old man sort of scratched at his beard
He barely knew where to begin

So he said, once upon a table top
This is a funny place to begin
Where the salt sits next to the pepper – pop!
Let’s start with imagining