Alice, What's Goin' On? Poem by Evelyn Judy Buehler

Alice, did th' afternoon grow long an' dull;
As your older sister did read an' mull?
While in your mind, boredom grew-
That you'd grown restless no one knew!
That's what came before th' fall-
An' no one saw ya fall; No one saw at all.
Did quaint White Rabbit catch your eye
As he hurried fretfully by?
An' how did childish curiosity peak?
An' why did ya decide to seek?
Might have been that he was late
When rabbits don't need to hurry or wait.
Could be that he glimpsed his watch
As if an appointment he would botch.
How did ya go down, explain, explain;
Not knowin' how ya would come up again?
Just after th' endless, tiresome fall
Ya pursued White Rabbit down th' hall;
An' soon lost sight of him-
Lost an' alone for a sudden whim.
Luckily, ya found th' key!
But, alas, it was no use to ye.
Ya grew, ya shrank, swam in your tears;
White Rabbit arrived, only to disappear.
An' then ya spoke to your friend Rat
Of his legendary hatred of Cat.
To th' shore of th' river of tears went ye;
An' argued age with th' Lory.
Your pals an' ya ran a race that was nimble;
An' for your prize, ya won a thimble.
But, Alice, didn't ya wanna laugh
At this solemn gift on their behalf?
An' what did ya think ya were about
When ya and hot-tempered Mouse fell out?
Once again left all alone
In a land unknown.
Then comes Rabbit who says, "Fetch my fan! "
An' to him, ya were "Mary Ann."
For fan an' gloves ya went to browse;
But, instead became a giant in White Rabbit's house.
Suddenly, White Rabbit says, "Mary Ann! "
"Bring yourself back out again! "
When down th' chimney he came with a will,
A kick ya gave, an' up went Bill!
But soon found ya had made no mistake
To sample one of th' little cakes.
For suddenly ya were quite small;
An' then ya ran back down th' hall.
Did th' creatures chase ya from that neighborhood?
Oh, did ya find refuge in a wood?
An' while ya engaged yourself in dialogue
Did ya chance upon giant, playful dog?
"Oh my! "says you. "How shall I grow up again-
Now that smallness is in vain? "
Then, "Who are ya? "I heard someone ask.
Although to answer was a huge task.
Alice, to have your head in the clouds
Was one way to escape a madding crowd.
This was found, to your delight,
After th' mushroom gave ya height.
Please, Alice, never forget
There's magic all about ya yet.
If we have th' will to be free,
We can be whatever we want to be.
When again ya walked under leafy boughs,
Fate put ya at th' Duchess's house.
On ya face did ya wear a scowl
To sneeze an' hear th' baby howl?
Ya must have seen there was no permanence
Within that house of violence!
An' Alice, did ya feel bad
When Chesire Cat said, "We're all quite mad! "
Then left in a puff of air
His hauntin' grin lingerin' there?
Tea party! Tea party! Were ya asked to tea?
A tea party! A tea party! Under a tree.
Everythin' was still; Dormouse asleep.
Th' exact time no one could keep.
Th' Hatter spoke of an argument last spring,
When th' Queen of Hearts asked him to sing.
At this event, March Hare went mad;
A perpetual tea party was then had.
Always tea time- forevermore!
Wasn't this th' place like none before?
Finally- th' garden you'd dreamed about!
Ya had found it without a doubt.
An' saw th' procession start;
An' th' arrival of th' King an' Queen of Hearts.
But, to your dismay, th' king, queen, an' guards
Were naught but a pack of playin' cards!
Yet, with a stern glare th' queen angrily said,
Off with your head! Off with your head!
At th' croquet game, which became quite a mess,
Ya had a strange meetin' with th' Duchess.
What a change! She was now so friendly.
But ya recoiled, for she was ugly.
When she spoke of morals in voice serene,
She was ordered away by th' vicious queen.
She then led ya without fail
To hear Mock Turtle's odd tale.
Prim little Alice, how did ya feel
When ya thrilled to th' lobster quadrille?
Yet, a grave, grave error ya made at th' trial
To grow to be more than a mile...
Ya grew to be more than a mile
Without guile;
Ya were more than a mile
With style;
Your height was over a mile.
Th' Queen of Hearts did rile;
For Alice was over a mile;
Though only a child.