Happy Hippo hopped round and round,
hip-ity, hop-ity, and upside down.
She hopped around with her hula hoop,
hopping, hopping in a loop-de-loop.
Her hula hoop was like a deep, thick line,
drawn in the sand between yours and mine,
holding all of her important notions -
her needs, her wants, and her emotions.
You, too, have your very own hula hoop -
for if you didn't, you would start to droop.
It lets you know when it's time to sleep,
when it's time to sing, or not make a peep.
It lets you know when you feel sad,
or happy, scared, surprised, or mad.
What made Happy happiest of all,
was when everyone else was on the ball,
with hula hoops close, but not too tight,
not overlapping and causing a fight.
But not everyone felt that way,
her family often had their say,
hopping into Happy's hula hoop,
trying to meddle, search, and snoop.
“You look tired!” Sister said.
“Go upstairs and get to bed!”
“Don't tell me what to do!
You only know what's best for you!
It makes me mad when you cross the line,
not knowing the difference between yours and mine,"
Happy said, stomping her feet,
her hippo hips booming a steady beat.
“Stay out of my hoop and I'll stay out yours!
I won't bug you to do your chores!
If you forget to do the dishes,
I won't do them or feed the fishes,
when that's your job, and not mine,
this is where I draw my line!”
“What are you talking about?
You are supposed to help us out!”
Brother said with a snort and a shout!
“Mom said that we're a family,
we help each other, don't you see?
Happy, what is wrong with you?
You're being selfish, and nasty, too!”
Happy stomped her feet harder on the floor,
her hula hoop much stronger than before.
“This hula hoop gives me room to grow.
There are times I just need to say “No!”,
when saying “Yes!” would hurt me so.
We all need space to grow up strong,
to respect each other and get along.”
Well, Brother and Sister had had enough,
of all of this crazy hula-hoop stuff.
They grabbed Happy and threw her down,
their hula hoops flying all around,
tangled like a ball of twine,
mixing up yours and mine.
“What's going on?What's this all about?”
Mother scrambled in to find out.
Her hula hoop was tossed and tumbled,
as the Hippo family fought and fumbled.
Arms and legs all over the place,
everyone in each other's space.
Father came in, as calm as can be,
looking around, so that he could see,
standing back, with a wide-screen view,
of the Hippo Hula Hoop Hullabaloo!
Happy began to hop about,
hopping, hopping to get out
of the Hippo Hula Hoop Hullabaloo.
Happy hopped 'til she finally broke through!
She spun around with her hula-hoop,
hopping, hopping in a loop-de-loop.
She spun around, like a ballerina,
the most graceful hippo you've ever-seen-a.
Happy spun, picking up speed,
her hula-hoop, finally freed.
It lit up like a UFO,
giving off a bright, green glow.
Happy's hoop spun on its' own,
clearly defining Happy's zone.
It spun and spun, 'til it was on fire,
spinning, spinning like a burning tire.
Brother and Sister stood far away,
from the blazing hoop that day.
Mother scrambled and leaned back,
her hula hoop barely intact.
They understood, without a word,
that Happy's “No!” was finally heard.
Happy smiled as the hoop fell down,
burning a hole in the ground,
leaving a mark, a line in the sand,
letting all know this was her land.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Angela Dawn MacKay
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