Once Upon a Rhyme
Old Man Death was lonely so
he shaped his love to Life,
to her Time’s gift he did bestow;
she made herself his wife
Their Nature shaped the stars above
and from the tides there grew,
Time’s cyclic waves of unseen love
beginning something new
So as the cosmos wheeled and danced
dear Nature fell in love,
with Time itself she found romance
as bright as stars above
Thus over time love spun a thread
as she – Nature; Time’s wife,
wove their love together and she
breathed a star to Life.
✧
Once Upon a Rhyme
Old Man Death was lonely so
he shaped his love to Life,
to her Time’s gift he did bestow;
she made herself his wife
Their Nature shaped the stars above
and from the tides there grew,
Time’s cyclic waves of unseen love
beginning something new
So as the cosmos wheeled and danced
dear Nature fell in love,
with Time itself she found romance
as bright as stars above
Thus over time love spun a thread
as she – Nature; Time’s wife,
wove their love together and she
breathed a star to Life.
✧
Why do all fairytales begin with “Once Upon a Time” ?
Fairytales in all languages start with some form of the phrase, so it’s clear that time is an important ingredient to the sharing of any story. Although we may never truly know the origins, we can imagine some logical reasons why:
★ A fairytale has to begin somewhere. After all, no story can be shared if it never has a place to start.
★ A fairytale takes time to tell. The morals are revealed in the time that it takes to reach the end.
★ A fairytale can change over time. Although it might look different with each retelling, it’s the same story at heart.
But the words hint at something else– could these stories have been true, once upon a time? Did the magic of a fairytale’s happy ending really exist, and — if so — did that magic disappear when we stopped believing in it? Perhaps the magic is still hidden in the story, and – both like a finely-aged wine and those who drink it– it just needs time to grow.
This particular fairytale is part truth, part fiction, and part something in-between. It’s a fairytale years in the making, but the heart of the story is old as time itself. It’s a story about childhood inspiration, and believing in the magic of a happy ending. It’s about the unknown dark, the uncertainty of change, the search for self-identity, the transformative potential of hindsight, and of death. It’s about hope, love, the search for meaning, and the ability of time to both give and take. It’s a fairytale, but the story’s true meaning is found in the space between the pages and the threads that bind the book.
So, seeing as we’ll need to begin somewhere, our story will need an opening line. And what better one than “Once Upon a Time”?
Why do all fairytales begin with
“Once Upon a Time” ?
Fairytales in all languages start with some form of the phrase, so it’s clear that time is an important ingredient to the sharing of any story. Although we may never truly know the origins, we can imagine some reasons why:
★ A fairytale has to begin somewhere. After all, no story can be shared if it never has a place to start.
★ A fairytale takes time to tell. The morals are revealed in the time that it takes to reach the end.
★ A fairytale can change over time. Although it might look different with each retelling, it’s the same story at heart.
But the words hint at something else– could these stories have been true, once upon a time? Did the magic of a fairytale’s happy ending really exist, and — if so — did that magic disappear when we stopped believing in it? Perhaps the magic is still hidden in the story, and – both like a finely-aged wine and those who drink it– it just needs time to grow.
This particular fairytale is part truth, part fiction, and part something in-between. It’s a fairytale years in the making, but the heart of the story is old as time itself. It’s a story about childhood inspiration, and believing in the magic of a happy ending. It’s about the unknown dark, the uncertainty of change, the search for self-identity, the transformative potential of hindsight, and of death. It’s about hope, love, the search for meaning, and the ability of time to both give and take. It’s a fairytale, but the story’s true meaning is found in the space between the pages and the threads that bind the book.
So, seeing as we’ll need to begin somewhere, our story will need an opening line. And what better one than “Once Upon a Time”?
✧
Once upon a time,
a star was born.
✦
The addition of this star to the night sky was initially nothing extraordinary, as the cosmos were already filled with countless stars, and countless stars were to still come.
The star wondered why it was created, as there were already so many others in the sky and it felt no different from them. But it knew — as any star would — that a star is only born when Mother Nature loves Father Time, and so it knew that it must have been created because it was loved.
Despite never knowing Mother Nature, the star could see her love scattered throughout the cosmos. She was visible in the changing of the universe, present in the collision of stardust, and felt of the warmth it created. Although the star felt and understood the nature of its mother’s love — as this is what stardust is ultimately made of — it did not understand the nature of its father’s.
Father Time’s gift was silent and intangible, something the star could sense but not see. The star — as any star would — wondered what existed before and what would come after. The ever-forward march of time only allowed it to exist in the present, and thus it could never be anything after death. It could not comprehend why time’s love would grant the gift of life, only to take it away.
And so the star, like the countless others in the sky, hung silently in the night awaiting the end of time.
And that would have been the end, had Mother Nature not been inspired by Father Time. For this star, unlike the countless others in the sky, had a gift that no other star possessed– magic.
The star watched as Mother Nature’s love transformed the universe around it, and over time it began to wonder if it could change, too.
And perhaps, if it learned to change and grow, it could become something more than just a star– something which might never die, and might finally understand the true nature of Father Time’s love.
And so, over time, it learned to shape itself into something new that could outlive any single star;
A story.
✧
Once upon a time,
a star was born.
✦
The addition of this star to the night sky was initially nothing extraordinary, as the cosmos were already filled with countless stars, and countless stars were to still come.
The star wondered why it was created, as there were already so many others in the sky and it felt no different from them. But it knew — as any star would — that a star is only born when Mother Nature loves Father Time, and so it knew that it must have been created because it was loved.
Despite never knowing Mother Nature, the star could see her love scattered throughout the cosmos. She was visible in the changing of the universe, present in the collision of stardust, and felt of the warmth it created. Although the star felt and understood the nature of its mother’s love — as this is what stardust is ultimately made of — it did not understand the nature of its father’s.
Father Time’s gift was silent and intangible, something the star could sense but not see. The star — as any star would — wondered what existed before and what would come after. The ever-forward march of time only allowed it to exist in the present, and thus it could never be anything after death. It could not comprehend why time’s love would grant the gift of life, only to take it away.
And so the star, like the countless others in the sky, hung silently in the night awaiting the end of time.
And that would have been the end, had Mother Nature not been inspired by Father Time. For this star, unlike the countless others in the sky, had a gift that no other star possessed– magic.
The star watched as Mother Nature’s love transformed the universe around it, and over time it began to wonder if it could change, too.
And perhaps, if it learned to change and grow, it could become something more than just a star– something which might never die, and might finally understand the true nature of Father Time’s love.
And so, over time, it learned to shape itself into something new that could outlive any single star;
A story.
This story is for anyone who believed in fairytales, and ever wished upon a star.
It’s for the gifted children, the margin-doodling artists, and the ones lost in daydreams. It’s for the wolf kids, the roleplayers, and the ancient myth pursuers. It’s for the edgy outcasts, the rebellious teens, the depressed emos and the scenes. It’s for the questioning, the confused, the queer, and the everything in between.
It’s for the lovers, the dreamers,
and me.
This story is
for who we used to be,
and who we might become,
Once Upon A Time
✦
This story is for anyone
who believed in fairytales, and
ever wished upon a star.
It’s for the gifted children, the margin-doodling artists, and the ones lost in daydreams. It’s for the wolf kids, the roleplayers, and the ancient myth pursuers. It’s for the edgy outcasts, the rebellious teens, the depressed emos and the scenes. It’s for the questioning, the confused, the queer, and the everything in between.
It’s for the lovers, the dreamers,
and me.