Once Upon A Dark Time

 

Once Upon A Dark Time …

…in a land of smiles, bad things happened.  Children were broken into.  Nothing said.  Nothing done.  And so the innocent grew, not up, but small.  But this was not to be the end.  In the darkness little helpers gathered spilling rich black into soft white sheets.  Tailoring picture books to fill empty spaces.  Telling truth that grew much taller than a world too big to fit.  Until size no longer mattered and little souls were reawakened by the rhythms and rhymes of songs that carried them all the way home – ensuring they’d never be beaten again.

Footnote:  This story (from 2009) reflects The Black Dog Project’s focus on the safety, well being and rights of children and young people – and the idea of making books and gifting them to young people in the community through  sponsorship. Written long before the explosion of social media, the ‘Children were broken into.  Things stolen.’  now also reflects the impact of Smartphones and social media on children and young people.  Find this piece in Clunk & Jam book.  Original story in handmade book, ‘Rock The Boat’, 2009.  (Handwriting by Maggie).