Pippa Learns to Fly
Pippa was the last in the nest of her brood The last to rely on her mother for food
Her sisters had long since departed the nest Now it was her time to fly like the rest
She shivered with fear and made no sound As she peered over the edge of the nest to the ground
Her mum chirped to her to give it a go Deep breath, she flapped her wings to and fro
For a moment she felt like she’d figured it out Then plummeted on to a branch with a clout
Her mum fluttered down to where Pippa fell And nuzzled her daughter to check she was well
She helped Pippa back to the nest for the night And flew off to find supper in the failing light
As Pippa reflected on what had occurred Suddenly down below a cry she heard
She hopped to the side of the nest and looked down A boy lay next to his bike on the ground
He held his grazed knee, and sobbed quietly Then picked himself up and trudged off for his tea
Pippa thought of the boy, what he was trying to do How difficult it is to learn something new
Her mother returned as the shadows grew long Tomorrow Pippa hoped that her wings would feel strong
As she drifted to sleep she glanced up to the sky Tomorrow, she thought, I’m determined to fly.
Next morning she woke with a stretch and a yawn Her mum had returned with some worms from the lawn
Today, Pippa knew, she would need to be strong Her mum gently nudged her to help her along
Just then there was the ding-a-ling sound of a bell They both looked down and Pippa could tell
It was the boy she’d seen yesterday massaging his knee, Bright helmet on, waving to his mummy
Pippa noticed the boy had now stopped and could see
That he sat on his bike so determinedly
He wobbled a bit, his smile turned to a frown Then placed his foot on a pedal and looked down
But Pippa could see that his balance was poor He swayed and fell in a heap on the floor
He started to sob then glanced up to see Pippa sat in her nest high up in the tree
She chirped at the boy and put her head on one side To show her concern at his failure to ride
He smiled, wiped a tear from his eye and waved By now his concerned mum had arrived
He pointed at Pippa and she gave her a smile Then led her son back to the house for a while
Pippa flapped her wings like her mother had shown And before too long her confidence had grown
She leapt off the nest and out of the tree And hovered at first, successfully
But soon she began to drop down below Her mum felt helpless and could only follow
The little boy had been watching her puzzlingly Now seeing her fall he rushed to the tree
From the bottom of his shirt he made a crude safety net And held it out in front as her fall he met
The little boy gently stroked Pippa’s head Calmly and reassuringly he said
‘I don’t know if you can understand me little bird’ ‘But I really won’t hurt you, you have my word’
Pippa’s mum heard how soft were his words As on a branch he gently placed the little bird
Pippa looked down and raised up a wing He chuckled to her and again said something
‘It looks like we both have a task to achieve’ ‘I’m sure we can do it, we just need to believe’
For the rest of the day, there was much activity As Pippa exercised far up in the tree
The boy tried to balance properly And each time he fell he immediately
Climbed back on his bike and set off once more But time after time he tipped onto the floor
As darkness loomed Pippa looked down She thought that the boy would be wearing a frown
This time, however, things were different it seemed He had a glint in his eye and a smile that beamed
The little boy steadied and pushed himself on The wobbles disappeared and at once he was gone!
He tinkled his bell and ‘whooped’ as he passed But turning back to Pippa he tipped onto the grass
Pippa was worried, expecting his cries Instead he was laughing, happy tears in his eyes
His mum hugged him close and they set off for tea Pippa meanwhile had started to see
If the little boy can do it then so could she as she yawned and became very sleepy
That night Pippa dreamt that she took to the sky She swooped down low and she soared up high
Through little fluffy clouds and a patchwork of fields The freedom she felt was hard to conceal
Next morning she woke, her mum nowhere to be seen She felt really hungry, then remembered her dream
She was desperate to fly then saw the little boy He cycled towards her, his face full of joy
‘Hello little bird, will you fly today?’ ‘I will, I will’, she attempted to say.
Pippa flapped her wings and jumped into the air The little boy gasped but then noticed there
Was something different this time as her rhythm she found She flew down through the branches and swooped to the ground
She looped back up high, then spotted him there Far down below with his arms in the air
Pippa learnt fast as she looped this way and that she rode different currents and she flew low and fast
Then she suddenly flew to the boy by the tree And perched on his handlebars triumphantly
‘We both did it didn’t we!’ he said with a grin ‘We never gave up and we never gave in!’
Pippa’s mum had returned and looked down to see Her daughter stood looking as proud as could be
Pippa winked at the boy, then flew up to her mum Who was overjoyed, her work as a parent now done
They gently touched heads as the knowledge set in A new chapter in her life was about to begin
She flew back to the boy and he gave her a smile They looked at each other in awe for a while
‘Let’s have an adventure’ he said as he pedalled away Down the garden with so many places to play
The boy pedalled fast on his shiny red bike Pippa flew alongside with the most graceful of flight
And so they set off, these adventurous friends Who knows where their many exploits will end..
submitted by /u/wriggles24
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