Collage #41

When the sun was covered

By the moon in the daytime

Me and my brother

Went out of the house

To look up the sky

Mama had given us

Each a pair of glasses

Of magical power

Granting us special vision

To see Heaven in action

We’re no strangers to magic

Where at Disney we experienced

With Family this summer

We spent time together

Walking, running, and riding strollers

Exhausting ourselves

Taking rails, boats, and buses

From one kingdom to another

Searching for moments

Of magical delights

Exploring what was new

Repeating what was fun

Enjoying shows at dusk

With fireworks and lights

Not minding the lines

And the heat of July

When at last it was

Time to say goodbye

I’d bonded with Bà

‘Twas sad to let her go

When we got back home

I called out for her

But she did not come

We will have to skype

Till we meet again

I hope her summer

Is as good as mine

Disney 2017

When Disney calls, you’ve got to go

Imagine yourself soaring in the sky

On the Magic Carpets’ ride

Maybe the rockets will take you high

When your feet are no longer on the ground

And you’re surrounded with joyful sounds

You will feel a new sensation

That fills you with awe and admiration

You can go to Never Land in a galleon

Looking at the city of London in wonderment

Over the sea you’ll watch mermaids sway

While pirates are fighting hard to earn their stay

Magic Kingdom will deliver magical fun

When Mama says go, I’ll be ready in a heartbeat

It’s A Small World we went twice

Just because it was peaceful and nice

And Mama did not mind

And Bà said she’d go anywhere with us for a ride

So we took her to many more places we know she’d adore

Like Winnie the Pooh where lives a bear as sweet as honey

And Under the Sea where a mermaid sings beautifully

The Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is full of dizzying actions

While you don’t have to move through the Carousel of Progress

The Haunted Mansion was dark and mysterious

The Pirates of the Caribbean were scary too

But what gave me the most uncomfortable thrills

Were the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad when it roars

And the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Train when it runs

At Hollywood Studio I was a Jedi

I got to train with other Jedi knights

I got on stage to face Darth Vader in person

When, with the blue saber, I bravely fought

And was satisfied

That neither of us had to cry

In the Voyage of the Little Mermaid

Ariel woke from her spell and got both feet and Prince

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a terror

But it is Bà’s favorite so I had to try

The Star Tours was more fun than the Great Movie Ride

So I did not mind going through it twice

The Toy Story Mania! was really really wild

Dada is the champion of our family in this game of cannon fires

We loved the Kilimanjaro Safaris of Animal Kingdom

Early in the morning when the animals did not hide

They also wandered the Maharajah Jungle Trek and the Gorilla Trail

At Rafiki’s Planet Watch, we brushed the goats and listened to the rain forests’ soul

On the Triceratop Spins Milli loved to go round and round

When we were not so occupied in the Boneyard playground

The Kali River Rapids was fun at all times

Though it scared me that its red rocks were lit up at night

In a different way than the amazing Rivers of Light

I’d pick the Na’vi River Journey in the new Pandora section

Over the scary Dinosaur Dinosaur anytime

The Festival of The Lion King was one of our musts

But I did not understand the allure of the Expedition Everest

It was the adults of our group who willingly split up to ride

At Epcot we had pictures taken with our Disney Pals

Then we went on the search for Nemo at Seas with Nemo and Friends

We were mesmerized by the fishes and turtles of SeaBase

We’d have stayed longer but there were places to go

I rode with Bà again on the Spaceship Earth

Alas again the camera did not capture a photo of me!

We boated down the Frozen Ever After stream that we missed last year

And enjoyed a firework send-off from Queen Elsa and her friends

I could not try my hands at Test Track for there was no time

But we were happy to see Illuminations before turning in for the night

If you ask Bà which park she loves the best

She probably would not be able to tell

How do you choose among the different light shows

Each is a magnificent work of arts of beautiful sounds and sights

I didn’t know that I’d cry at Blizzard Beach

Not because of a rough ride but because I loved the icerbergs too much

At Leisure Pool I did not get to show more of my prowess

But I forgot my sorrow at the Melt-Away Bay and Cross Country Creek with Milli

I have to admit it wasn’t love at first sight

The steep slides that pretend to be snow slopes gave me the willies

The chairlifts look like they would tilt down and dump their riders in a heap

The words of assurance from the adults didn’t soothe me

When I saw them hurl their bodies down Summit Plummit’s vertical drop

But once I lay on my belly to be pulled down the Toboggan Racers course

And swirling and churning down the Snow Stormers, I clamored for more

Then I found the most thrilling ride of the week

Here at Blizzard Beach

The Teamboat Springs, the longest raft ride of all, has definitely become my favorite.

100-word story for Lan's birthday

A man is driving across the country by himself. He started out in Richland. The road is long and lonely. He is tired. He does not have many options. He must reach Urbana before the fall semester begins. He and his wife had planned this trip months ago. At the end, she did not go with him. He wishes her here to keep him company and help him drive. He is an emotional wreck. He just became a daddy. His newborn daughter came six weeks early. His wife stayed behind until they are ready to join him. He is thankful.