GRUMP LAND

Just finished this has a bit of work yet but cute don't you think

Who could have known that’s who he was

a man of Grump Land

His past added up to insecurity 

that came out of his mouth 

in the form of lampooning

Aspersion dribbled from his orifice

leaving a need for estuaries 

in his Grump Land for humans 

to gain protection from his salty words
---

Yet there was a sweet spot amongst the 

weeds and storms

A place he hid from most

but I saw it

He let me experience it

and it was brighter than 

any star the Milky Way had to offer

The sweetness I felt there was like an endless

stream of syrup flowing into a lake of pancakes
---

There was a gravitational attraction

from the very commencement 

of our encounter

He did not take me to Grump Land

until I had been well introduced to his Milky Way

---

When we got to Grump Land I was confused

and heart broken

he had not spoken of this place

I tried to escape but the memory of his Milky Way

made me want to stay

but I ran

What followed was a maze of confusion 

as I ran thru tunnels connecting the two worlds Grump Land and his Milky Way 

trying to find which one was real

My hope was that his Milky Way was de facto 

and Grump Land was hallucinatory

maybe something I ingested during my sojourn at his Milky Way  

perhaps a bit too much syrup on my pancake caused the illusion
---

I ran into a few Homo sapiens that inhabited in the tunnels on my path thru 

I inquired for directions

there was a man at a beach that said I would find many others on my passage 

that was all he could offer

At least I knew there was a way out because others had found it 

but I could find no foot prints

perhaps they are endlessly traveling digitigrade in fear of leaving prints that could be found 

tip toeing with calves cramping from the long distance needed to escape
---

While in the tunnels I would see a glimpse of his Milky Way 

it gave me hope 

so I would try to ascertain which direction would bring me to it

when I saw Grump Land peering thru I would sprint away as swift as my feet would take me

It seemed like I was in the tunnels for months

my stomach began to ache from famishment

but I had no sustenance to provide it relief

I had not come prepared for this journey
---

I did not see him while on my route

he would speak to me from waves in the air

His words were so kind and alluring

they allowed me to rest for short stints 

the slumber offered wonderful dreams but also nightmares
---

Who created this man from Grump Land

what made him tick I wondered

I came across a good witch within the tunnels

she was tending to her treasures of which she seemed to have many

She shared that the man in Grump Land had been born there

and was trying to escape himself but had not been able to do so yet

He lived with a family who were blind

they could see no beauty  just judgement

---

I spent some time with the good witch

she fed me and gave me a place to doze

I was incircle by beautiful flowers one being a rose

the smell was so wondrous 
---

I wish I could say I have found my way out of the tunnels

that would not be accurate

I have found many who dwell there

they have taken me in

shared their tales

fed me and clothed me

It’s an interesting place to be between two worlds
---

I have not heard the Man from Grump Land speak for quite a while

If we meet on the way out of the tunnels I hope to be able to greet him with a smile

then perhaps walk out of Grump Land 

hand in hand

Make a new land filled with happiness and joy 

find our way to his Milky Way 

What a great ending that would be 

wouldn’t you agree.

by Lynn Hahn