Please welcome guest blogger Jasper Jules Jackson Jones,
who presents the following work of fiction for your enjoyment:
Trip Trap Tap
text by Jasper Jules
puppets by Theatre of Widdershins
We're billy goats, yes, but we're not
so gruff.
My brothers and I have had enough
of these trollish tales of hoof and
horn!
It's time you learn what did go
on.
There was a bridge, I'll admit that,
And yes it's true we tripped and
trapped.
You see, my baby brother Joe
Had someplace that he had to go.
Joe loves to dance – he trips and
traps!
He boogies, woogies, tips and taps.
His hooves go slippity, fast slap, slow
and that is what you need to know.
Now Johnny, he's the middle one,
and I, we thought it might be fun
to learn those moves and dance along
with little Joe's tip-tapping song.
One day there was a casting call
A talent show – “come one, come
all!”
We knew we had the moves, you see.
We practiced with a one-two-three,
We danced and danced. We tripped and
trapped!
We boogey-woogied, tipped and tapped.
Our hooves went slippity, fast slap,
slow
and soon we three were ready to go.
We could see the stage from our
mountain side
Just over the rippling river wide.
We knew that in one brief, jolly jaunt
we'd be ready to show off our trippity
trot.
We set out, Joe and John and I,
heading for the riverside.
By lunch we'd reached a long, strong
bridge
And I said, “boys, let's give her a
spin.”
The bridge was fine for a trip trip
trap.
It sang with the boogie, the woogie,
the tap.
A marvelous sound when we slapped fast,
slow,
our hooves were slappy slip, tip tap
toes.
Now that's about when the trouble
began.
Our boogie stomp woke the boogie man!
We were spinning and stamping when that
critter woke up.
We heard him shout, “Stop that
dancing at ONCE!”
Now Johnny stopped, just polite as can
be,
and said, “Mr. Troll, my apologies.
We didn't mean to interrupt
your afternoon nap with this trip trap
stuff.”
I stopped as well, with a worried whoa,
But not that groovin' goat little Joe.
That buck could dance to beat the band
and his trip trap tap was out of hand.
His eyes shut tight, he tripped and
trapped.
He boogied and woogied, his trotters
tapped.
Trippity, slippity, fast slap, slow,
so danced our rip rap, trip trap Joe.
“Little goat,” cried the troll,
“I'll eat you up!
This dancing's gone on quite enough!”
Now you hold still! You cease!
Desist!”
But my brother Joe just trip trap
tripped.
“It's me you want,” cried Johnny
boy,
and he danced and he spun like a wind
up toy.
“I'm a bigger bite, I've a jiggling
haunch,
I'm the goat that would make you a
tasty lunch!”
Johnny danced with a spin and a trip
and trap.
His boogie-woogie dance was off the
map.
His hooves went slippity, heel to toe,
and tippity, tappity, go go go.
That troll, he lumbered, reached and
grabbed.
That capricous caprine just danced and
laughed.
Johnny could spin like a smooth white
blur
and that troll couldn't grab a single
tuft of fur.
Troll cried, “Young goat, don't toy
with me!
You goats have ruined my beauty sleep.
I'll gobble you up, you see if I
don't!”
And he leapt and he reached and he grunted and groaned.
Little Joe and John looked a bit worn
down
so I stepped out quickly, toes tapping
around.
I sang, “Oh troll, lookie here old
chap!
I'm the one that you want for your
midday snack!”
I shook my beard with a swirling snap.
I boogied, I woogied, I trip trap
tapped.
My hooves went slip slap fast and slow,
I danced my best for that lumbering
troll.
Now my brothers call me Jasper Jules
And I am one big, bearded fool.
More size than sense, you understand,
so I danced right towards those
reaching hands.
My little bros needed time to split,
they were getting tired from the looks
of it.
Figured Troll and I could tango and
tussle
buying time for my brothers' run-away
hustle.
I tripped and I trapped and the troll
man grabbed
And we spun with a slippity poke and
jab
I trod on his toes and he grabbed at my
nose
And before I know, whoopsie me, where's
that troll?!
Over the railing of that great broad
bridge
old troll, in his wrestle-dance, up and
slipped
Head over hairy trollish toes
he slipped and he splashed in the water
below.
Now a goat can dance but he can't much
swim.
And our dancing had worn the three of
us thin.
We threw him a branch and we caught our
breath
And, waving good-bye, the three of us
left.
We danced into town with a trip and
trap.
That troll hadn't dampened our boogity
tap.
We slid onto that smooth stage right on
time
And our slippity slappity stomp was
fine
The judges loved our trippity slap.
Our boogie woogie dancing made them
move and clap.
Joe danced a solo that was greater than
great
With a skinnamarink, slap slip two,
four, eight.
Now we hope that troll made it safely
to shore.
We're sure he's fine, if a little sore.
As for us, we have something that we'd
like you to do
– a favor for Joe, John and Jasper Jules.
If you're ever on Broadway and you hear
a tap,
If you hear a little tippity tip trip
trap,
Step on in and see the show
You'll love the way our tapping
trotters go!
LOL Love It!! As a caprine lover myself!
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