「Before I was the Once-ler, I was a young man
I was like you; young, ready with a plan.」
He tells the boy his story, from the start
When he wanted to make and sell his art
But he left out details that made his stomach turn
About family, sweeties, and a musical churn
Churn, he would do, to have music sing
And it was always the most wonderful thing
Mama would have him push the Canto-phone away
But as a little Once-ler, he'd have it play
Very soft like his sweeties, sweet like the milk
Of the butterflies; on his ears, gentle silk
He'd play it soft in his room, alone
While his brothers, outside, would groan
About their small little brother, who was a big bore
Once-ler would be inside, reading on Moore
He loved his wit, and his Mama was pleased
That he was always so quiet, even when he sneezed
When he was silent, he was a good Once-ler
If he wasn't, he would get a loud slur
Bad Once-lers don't get good things; Not balls
Jacks, flapjacks, or get to play with Grizelda's dolls
They can't play concerts to the toys!
They are punished for all of their wretched noise!
These words always stuck, gum to his one heart
But from his Mama, family, he never could part
Mama was always there, saying, surely, good things
About how one day, if he works, they'd live like kings
So Mama would stay, always keeping him close
Once-ler wanted her to be happy the most
So he would set off into the world to grow,
To make Thneeds, and have Mama's eyes glow
Out to the world he went with few trinkets
Leaving with the accompanying whinchats
『My father did, too, though I never met him
But he left his guitar for me like a phantom limb』
As he continued to speak of his travels,
The Once-ler spoke, while he slowly unraveled
『Yes, perhaps that was the beginning of the maddening
Of the Noisy-voicies and the Baddening』
「I was in search of things such as these!-」
『THOSE! Those things you once called Trufulla Trees!』
The Once-ler left off with a silent sigh
And the boy just stood, looking up to this guy
The strange guy, who spoke like the old
Not even Grammy, in this way, had told
Him of this Once-ler or of the soft trees
In this silence, he bent his small knees
And sat on the stones, arranged in a ring
And he continued to listen when Once-ler began telling
Of the strange creature he'd called from the Earth,
Once he'd cut down the Tree, and to this world, gave birth
*Much of this was inspired by the cut song from the movie, "The Once-ler's Traveling Madness"
*Canto-phone = Contrived of the Latin word for "music" and phone meaning "sound," this is my Seuss-ical word for "gramophone."
*Whinchats = European song birds that reside in grassy meadows
