Musings and Other Nonsense. Whimsical stories, poems and songs for children. Written and read by Peter G. Reynolds. That's me! Your support allows us to bring you quality stories each week. Please visit buymeacoffee.com/musings to donate and help with our production costs.
This episode is called Inside Outside.
In a lonely old house
Between here and there,
Lived a little boy who
Never went anywhere.
Inside kept him safe
Kept him entertained,
But something was missing
That could not be explained.
Outside was quite jealous
For she wanted to play
With that little boy
On that sunny day.
So she tried to entice him
To step out the door,
For then he would have
The whole world to explore.
Outside showed him apples
To pick off the tree.
Inside showed him shows
To watch on TV.
Outside showed him animals
That he could meet.
Inside showed him toys
And great food to eat.
But Outside had something
Inside couldn’t match,
Butterflies by the dozen
All ready to catch.
So the boy left the house
A net in his hand,
And that was much more
Than Inside could stand.
“Come back!” he said,
“It’s not safe outside!”
“Come back and I’ll see
While you try to hide.”
Outside only laughed
And shouted with glee,
“I’ll keep him safe.
Don’t worry, you’ll see.
The boy climbed a tree.
He swam in a lake.
He ate some wild berries
‘Til his tummy ached.
The boy ran and ran
Outside didn’t care,
She finally had someone
With whom she could share
The earth and the sky
What a wondrous sight.
Until, that is
Day turned into night.
The boy tripped and fell
And screamed out in pain
And what made it worse
Was it started to rain.
“Please turn off the rain.
I’m cold and I’m wet.”
“I cannot,” said Outside
“I cannot just yet.”
“The plants need to drink,
The rivers must swell.
If I interfere
Nature won’t take it well.”
As if on cue,
They both heard a growl,
Followed too closely
By a frightening howl.
The boy started to panic
Inside was right!
Outside was dangerous
This late at night.
Where could he go?
What could he do?
He was too far from home
Yes. That much was true.
Then, from dark shadow
They both heard a voice,
“Hurry this way.”
They both had no choice.
They followed the voice
And discovered a cave.
The boy went in first
For he was quite brave.
Inside sat inside
The cave warmed by flame.
Outside stayed outside
Because of her shame.
“What were you thinking?”
Inside was quite mad.
Outside slinked away,
She was feeling quite bad.
But secretly Inside
Was feeling quite scared.
To get the boy home
He was not prepared.
He knew nothing of rain.
He knew nothing of snow.
He knew nothing that wasn’t
Inside you know.
But he did know someone
Who did know the way,
So he shouted “Wait! Outside,
Won’t you please stay?”
So Inside and Outside
Shook hands on that day.
Well, they kind of did
In their own special way.
Outside looked for danger
And which way was best.
Inside found them shelter
When they needed to rest.
And together they helped
The boy to get home
And from that day on
They were never alone.
Sometimes they’d switch places
Just on a whim,
Where Inside went out
And Outside went in.
Inside went all places
From mountains to sea.
It was the very first time
He’d felt totally free.
And Outside enjoyed
The cozy embrace
Of four walls and a roof
In her own private space.
The boy was so happy
That they’d made amends
For now, the boy had
Two very good friends.
As he stood in the doorway
The boy understood
The lesson he’d learned
Was for his own good.
That the best of both worlds
Is what life’s about,
When Outside comes in
And Inside goes out.
I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, please check out my picture book, Lost Hallway, now available on Amazon. It’s a magical tale of a young boy who finds a world that contains all lost things. You can find it here: https://tinyurl.com/y5frqmqv
You can also learn more at https://www.storiesbypeter.com
See you next time!