Lena the Lemur
On an isolated Island in the middle of the sea
Lived a troop of lackadaisical Lemurs, who lay among the trees
Listless and lack lustre, they would barely jump or swing
So lazy were the Lemurs, they would hardly do a thing
In fact their only action, their one and only feat
Was to munch upon the cantaloupe, they so fondly like to eat
They would eat and eat and eat, as they lay outstretched in the heat
And as far as they could see, their lives were quite complete
They had all that they would need, to eat and live and cope
For the island produced in abundance, their hallowed cantaloupe
Of food it was quite certain their supply would never cease
So they never cared to worry, they were happy with their feast.
They loved their juicy fruit, and could not want for more
All the fruit they duly needed, their Island surely bore
But one Lemur dared to dream, could there be something more?
For her the taste of cantaloupe had become something of a bore.
Lena was her name and her mind was full of wonder
What treasures may lie beyond the shore, she thought, on islands far and yonder.
How often she would sit, with a cantaloupe in her hand
As she chewed upon its flavourless flesh, so insipid, oh so bland!
upon the far horizon, she’d then dreamily cast her gaze
Thinking of the fruits that may lie yonder, fruits that would startle and amaze.
So Lena told the other Lemurs, about her thoughts, about her dream
Of other islands like their own baring fruits they’d never seen
Fruits of different colours, sizes, shapes and taste
And how to such Islands they must travel, with purpose and with haste.
But the other Lemurs laughed and scoffed at her idea
Other islands beyond the shore, this thought they found quite queer
There were no other islands, to be seen or to conceive
Such Islands simply did not exist, as far as they believed.
Their Island was all that stood, solitary and alone
There were no distant islands on which other fruits were grown
Such imagining was foolish; it was nothing but a dream
There were no other islands, no new fruits to be seen.
But Lena disagreed, they could not be alone
There must be other islands, other than their own
In all that distant sea, all that vastness all that space
There must be other islands, it had to be the case
So Lena plucked up all her courage and applied all of her craft
And from the trees around her she built herself a raft
The raft she called “The Dreamer “and with it she set sail
Despite the doubting Lemurs, who thought her doomed to fail.
She faced hurricanes and twisters, rough and raging seas
She endured cold conditions, which brought her to her knees
She battled every current, and rode out all the waves
As she sailed across the ocean for countless months and days
The intrepid Lemur never faltered, she never gave up hope
With everything the sea threw at her, she knew that she could cope
The winds, the rain, the thunder, the lightning and the hail
The little Lemur battled, determined not to fail
On and on she ventured across the perilous sea
And not a single other island did she notice, did she see
Hear heart began to sink, perhaps the other Lemurs were right and she was wrong
But she courageously ventured, pushing on and on
Forty more days of thunder, of endless waves and rain
The little Lemur faced with valour, steadfast she remained
She piloted her vessel and steered it through the tempest
Nothing would stop this explorer on her travels on her quest.
After 144 days, Lena’s hope began to wain
Perhaps her trip was pointless, her efforts all in vein
But to her surprise she spotted, in the distance through the storm
A great big island standing proud, no longer was she forlorn.
As she approached the island, her eyes widened in delight
Such a myriad of trees and fruit, an overwhelming sight
She cast her anchor down and paddled to the shore
Islands she had dreamed of, but this something more.
endless fruits she found, on trees and shrubs and plants
she sampled everyone and revelled in the chance
Fruits of sweet and sour, some crunchy and some soft
Each one she picked with relish, and with joy she quickly scoffed
Some with pips and seeds, others with a stone
Some that grew in bunches and some that grew alone
With a full spectrum of colours, with a plethora of tastes
With a myriad of textures, the islands fruit had all been graced
More types than she’d imagined, that she could possibly have conceived
There was a bounty of the fullest, which had to be seen to be believed.
Lena packed the fruits in her crates, and gave each new fruit a name
The Lemur’s lives she’d change forever, they would never be the same
Lena readied her voyaging vessel, and waited for the tide to turn
Back to her island she would venture, to her home she would return.
She’d fight the waves once more, the lighting, the rain, the hail and thunder
To deliver her precious fruits, to share her new found plunder.
With the wind behind her sails Lena caught a passing drift
Which carried her trusty vessel, and brought her home so swift
As she reached her destination, she looked upon the shore
Where the doubting Lemurs had assembled, and looked at her in awe
Their eyes were fixed and wide, their jaws had hit the floor
In disbelief they stared, transfixed by what they saw
Lena unloaded her cargo, proudly on the shore
She introduced each fruit, giving the doubting lemurs a tour
They felt and touched and sampled each fruit from her fine quarry
And for doubting the little Lemur, it was clear that they were sorry.
Lena stood upon a crate and raised her hand to speak
The other lemurs stood in silence, not a mutter, not a peep
“I do not which to lecture, I do not wish to gloat,
But one thing that you must heed, and make a point to note,
A simple little lesson, from what I’ve shown and what you’ve seen
Is what can be achieved, when you dare to dream!”