Ole Tangerine Man and Planet AMAZING
A children’s story about a flaming orange bully.
Planet AMAZING is TREMENDOUS!
Amazingly tremendous,
most would agree.
But something’s happening here
that’s been bugging me.
Atop the hill stands Ole Tangerine Man,
with small hands, squinty eyes,
and this mystery hair. . .
He shouts and barks like a brute
in gibberish jibber-jabber —
quite hot-tempered,
indeed, for a fruit.
More like a bowl of chili, he is,
or a heap of red curry.
However ya spin it,
he’s one flaming orange bully!
See, he was given the crown
to match his fancy briefcase.
Call him Captain AMAAAAZING,
the new boss of this place.
But man,
we got fooled.
We got seriously duped.
He’s the one stirring up
this pot of chaos soup.
And what is this devious recipe?
It’s made with secrets and peas;
thick with stinky, old cheese!
He stirs and he mixes,
bragging, “I’m better, more clever, the BEST!!!”
all the while puffing out his gold-dusted chest.
AMAZING, now split down the middle
like a big football field —
on one side, you’ll find
Tangerine and his mates.
On the other?
Those that don’t think he’s so great.
Like that big field,
his words divide you and me —
pitting one plum against the other
and flicking Olive from his tree.
Now The Leeks are not welcome,
nor is Peanut Butter nor Beet.
If not a common fruit,
you’re deemed too bitter or sweet;
too fresh or offbeat
(according to him,
in his warped little bubble).
But AMAZING is amazing,
and there’s plenty of room
for all tastes, shades, and shapes,
be it Marmalade or Mushroom.
But wait, look a little closer.
Inside Ole Tangerine Man,
hey, what do you see?
Just a scared little seed only wishing to be
bigly praised and admired
by everyone — even me.
When called out or questioned,
what does he do?
He starts spitting out lies and laughing at you!
Placing blame and pointing his finger,
he’ll call you a phony; a fake!
(Name-calling is his favorite of traits.)
He shames those that don’t flatter
nor bow down to his “greatness,”
like the fizzing and popping Miss Ginger Beer.
He turns others against her —
drags her name through the muck —
with a sly, smirking sneer,
spouting gobbledyguck!
I had to ask, “Hey, what’s your beef?”
But he never quite answers,
then chirps a mean tweet.
An ego so fragile, so easy to break —
chill out Ole Tangerine Man,
before you cause an earthquake!
So, what is there to do
when a bully bullies you?
You call out that bully! You call that bully out!
Others will hear you, support you, and join you, no doubt.
Stand up for yourself! Stand as TALL as can be!
Protect one another — ask the bees, they’ll agree!
Will you quit or back down, Ole Tangerine Man?
“No, I can’t bear to lose! I must always win!”
So AMAZING, it’s time:
either we sink or we swim!
More than swim, you can SOAR . . .
higher and higher than ever before!
Like a sea of fierce dragons,
we’ll fly across the vast meadows.
We don’t need to breathe fire —
instead, we spray rainbows!
We are stronger together.
We will take back his crown,
every last one of us, from Buttermilk to Pie Town!
And others will hear us, support us, and join us.
Jump to it!
Let’s do this —
don’t hesitate!
If we don’t come together,
his tone will get darker — more stormy, to boot.
The mold will spread and his mess is sure to grow.
This isn’t the guy we want running the show!
Let’s toss him out to the peaches
for a timeout to think
and turn for the better.
Until then, Ole Tangerine Man,
don’t expect a fan letter.
At the end of the day,
we feel sorry for you,
with no real friends — only foes —
and constant hullabaloo.
You spew words that hurt
and you throw stones
in your big white house,
all alone
(with a hamburger).
Now, more than ever, we must remember:
AMAZING is TREMENDOUS!
Amazingly tremendous.
Some would even say STUPENDOUS.
Bullies don’t win here,
Ole Tangerine Man —
you can’t eat us for breakfast!
Please . . .
stop with this frenzy and fuss.
Quit stomping! Don’t shout!
You better WATCH OUT —
Cuz we’re coming for you . . .
and your gang full of sharks.
With bigger and bolder,
more heartening barks!
We cart buckets of love for this land;
from farm, fridge, and fruit stand,
all foods here united,
marching hand in hand. . .
AMAZING, WE DESERVE better!!!
__
This children’s book was originally crowdfunded on indiegogo. The goal was to empower kiddos to stand up against bullies and protect one another.
