There once was a bird who just liked to sing
which sat outside the window of a powerful king.
Each morning the bird would welcome the day
by singing a song to the children at play.

Now, the king was amazed by the sound that he heard
from the beautiful songs that were sung by the bird.
People would travel from miles all around
just to listen to the bird with the beautiful sound.

Without any warning, it happened one day
the bird spread its wings and flew far away.
The people were stunned as they watched the bird fly
until the bird disappeared way up high in the sky.

"Where is the bird going?" said the powerful king.
"What will we do without the bird here to sing?"
"Who will sing all the songs to our children each day?"
"It won't be the same when they gather to play."

But the very next morning a strange thing occurred,
The king heard a sound that he thought was the bird.
So he ran to his window; but as he looked down,
it was not the return of the bird that he found.

The children were singing! That's the sound that he heard.
They were doing the thing they had learned from the bird.
And the king was amazed at the wonderful sight
of children singing and playing from morning until night.

Now every morning the powerful king
would sit by his window as the children would sing.
And people would travel from miles all around
now to listen to children with the beautiful sounds.

What a wonderful lesson was learned by the king
about the joy given the world when you teach it to sing.
The lesson did not come by way of the word...
the lesson that was taught by a small little bird.

© 2002 Tom Krause
Used with permission

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