Play Me.

Read Me.

In a teeny tiny tale

In a land not far away

There lives a little boy

Bert is his name

Bert loves to dance and sing

He loves to perform and play

He loves to tell great stories

And imagine away the day

. . . . .

Everyone who knows him

Says exactly the same thing

It’s a little piece of magic

When Bert starts to sing

He can act out any part

With such zest, pizzazz and zing

He can bust out every dance move

He can tap and rock and swing!

. . . . .

Now one sunny day in spring

The birds wake him from his doze

Bert yawns and rubs his eyes

Stretches his fingertips to his toes

He flops out of his bed

And hops into his clothes

He looks into the mirror

He strikes a dazzling pose

. . . . .

To Bert today is normal

It seems like any other

He waves hello to Snoop Dog

And kisses good morning his mother

He sits down for his breakfast

Scrummy toast with jam and butter

But little does he know today’s the day 

Of lights and crowds and wonder!

. . . . .

After brekkie he brushes his teeth

And now it’s time to play

He dons his favourite dancing shoes

And imagines he’s on Broadway

He glides and leaps and lands and smiles

He swaggers he struts he sashays

He imagines the roar of the audience and bows

For all the world’s a stage!

. . . . .

At a quarter to twelve, the telephone rings

Whilst Bert is singing a tune

His father usually answers it

But he’s busy in the loo

Bert picks up the phone and says with a smile

“Good morning, how do you do?”

And on the line is his Godfather

Sounding out of breath and blue

. . . . .

Not just his Godfather but his very best friend

Goes by the name of Swaff

He works in London theatres 

Turning microphones on and off

He says there’s been an emergency

The lead actor has a cough

Not only can he not sing a single note

But he’s only gone and run off!

. . . . .

Bert feels a pang of delight

He knows just what to do

He’s dreamt this moment a million times

He’s thought it through and through

“Swaff” he says “Leave it to me,

I’ll play the part for you.

I’ve learnt all the lines, can sing all the songs

And know the dance moves too”

. . . . .

Swaff agrees it’s a marvellous idea

The papers will write all about it

The youngest person to ever play the part

It really is rather astounding

Thank goodness for Bert, he’s saving the day,

What would they do without him?

Now it’s time to get to the theatre

To rehearse and try on his outfit

. . . . .

A rush of elation, a buzz of joy

Bert fist pumps the air with glee

This is what he’s been waiting for

He smiles and shouts “whoopee!”

“Mum! Dad!” He calls aloud

“Let’s go to the show, quickly!”

They gather their things, they run out the house

Bound for the capital city

. . . . .

Bert sits in the back of the car

As they drive into town

The day is sunny, the sky is blue

He winds his window down

He shuts his eyes and feels the breeze

He hears the city’s sounds

A smile upon his little face

Today’s not a day for frowns

. . . . .

After a while Bert opens his eyes 

To see where they are

Oh look! He can see the Science museum

They’ve already driven quite far

And there’s Hyde Park and the serpentine

He can see all the ducks from afar

And a busker singing beautiful songs

While another strums a guitar

. . . . .

Further still towards Trafalgar Square

To Nelson and his lions

Hundreds of people bustling about

Taking pictures and trying to climb them

So many wondrous sounds and sights

Children laughing and pigeons flying

The sky so blue, the sun so bright

The whole city glitters like diamonds

. . . . .

On towards the river, passed the Albert Hall

And beyond to Buckingham Palace

Wave hello to her majesty

No time for tea or a sandwich

They cruise passed Big Ben alongside the Thames

As fast as the car can manage

And suddenly they’re there - in theatre land

They’ve made it, Bert has landed

. . . . .

Swaff is there at the secret stage door

He welcomes Bert with a hug

“Come in come in, thank goodness you’re here!

You really are saving us bud!”

Mum and Dad say they’ll see him on stage

And give Bert a kiss for luck

Dad ruffles his hair, Mum strokes his cheek,

And whispers, “Break a leg, love”

. . . . .

Bert’s whisked away into make up

Where a lady powders his nose

And then to put on his costume

He’s never seen such wonderful clothes!

Swaff leads him into the wings now

It’s almost time for the show

He can hear the audience chatting

He’s ready and raring to go!

. . . . .

The lights go down, the curtain comes up

Bert makes his way onto stage

A mix of nerves and excitement

But mainly he feels quite brave

All of a sudden the lights come on

And Bert is stood centre stage

The audience gasp and shout hurrah!

He’s here, he’s saving the day!

. . . . .

The show passes by in a magical haze

Of laughter, lights and applause

Bert sings all the songs impeccably

He dances like never before

The audience love every moment

They cry, they cheer, they roar!

They give him a standing ovation

And shout “Encore! Encore!”

. . . . .

He bows and soaks up the glory

Blowing kisses and lapping it up

The crowd throw roses and whistle

Some even look starstruck

His parents are sat on the front row

They give Bert a big thumbs up

Bert smiles from ear to ear

He really is feeling quite chuffed

. . . . .

After a while Bert starts to yawn

He’s beginning to feel rather tired

It’s all well and good - being a superstar

But even the best must retire

He decides it’s time to go back home

Back where the world is quiet

He waves to his fans, takes his final bow

It’s his bed that he now requires

. . . . .

“Well what a day” says Bert

Feeling cosy in the car

His parents smile and say to him

“What a brave little boy you are”

He sighs a sigh and closes his eyes

He can feel that sleep isn’t far

And tonight he’ll dream of the day that’s been

The day he became a star

Thank you.

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