The Purple Poet Grandma smiles and takes you by the hand. "I'm very glad you chose the poetry book," she says. "Many children don't realize how much fun you can have with poetry. I want to introduce you to a good friend of mine." She leads you to a wonderful house that looks as though it were made of spun sugar. It glitters a pale purple in the sunshine. Grandma knocks at the door, which is opened almost immediately by a thin man with very pale blond hair reaching to his shoulders. He has very large violet colored eyes, which match exactly the velvet tunic he wears. "Hello, Gwydion," says Grandma. "This young person would like to hear some poetry." The Poet looks at you. "Would you, indeed?" he asks with a twinkle in his eyes. You are suddenly feeling very shy. You notice that his ears, which are poking through his pale hair, are pointed and curl toward his head. You wonder to yourself if the Poet is a Faery. "Yes, sir, if you have time to tell me some." The poet smiles at your answer. "I always have time for poetry," he says. He steps aside so that you and Grandma may enter his house. It seems much larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. The Poet leads you into a room which is dark and lit by only a few candles. You can't see into the corners, but in the candlelight it seems as though the room is full of small people or animals which scramble about in the darkness whispering softly to each other. You might have been frightened of the darkness if Grandma wasn't holding your hand, but she squeezes your finger to reassure you that everything is alright. The Poet holds out his hands. In each hand are several jewels. "Each of these represents a poem", he says, "Choose." Click on a jewel to read a poem. To Story Index