Land before time poems

Malte279 · **on:** December 14, 2004, 04:29:34 PM

Hi!
I've written a couple of poems for some land before time stories. I was thinking about creating the lyrics for a song that could come along with the story, same as the movies come up with the songs. The poems however are not included in the stories itself.
Here is the first one. The poem belongs to "Old Threehorns", the story I'm working with right now. It is a poem from Pterano's point of view. He is quite loathed by almost everyone. The poem could be sort of a monologe while he is sitting on top of a tree at night. The title is "Pterano's misery":

Does it matter not at all
What I say or what I do?
No matter what, I hear the call
ëDon’t even think that we trust you!’

Those whom I seek to protect
Don’t have for me the slightest respect
Are sorrow and despair my only destiny?
Will the past ever cease to predestine my fate?
Will tomorrow be more fair and end this misery?
Can anything I do for them strip them of their hate?

And even if my hopes fulfilled
Will the past stop haunting me?
The failure of once cannot be undone
And those who followed me were killed
If my hopes do not fulfil, again shall I be gone?

I’ve always thought that I could go my way alone
I see now that I was wrong
I do need chums and I do need a home...

And if I can never achieve this from those who are the right
Can I possibly make up my mind and change to the other side?

Petrie · **Reply #1 on:** December 15, 2004, 10:15:52 PM

I think you've shown me this before Malte, because I remember you struggling with the rhyming and syllables on a poem, and I think this was the one.

This one's perfect.

I have nothing to fix or add or suggest.

Threehorn · **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2004, 01:04:52 PM

Nice poem!!!! it cool!

-Threehorn

Littlefoot1616 · **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2004, 07:04:03 AM

I always enjoy reading your poems Malte! Always top-notch material!

Malte279 · **Reply #4 on:** December 20, 2004, 01:40:00 PM

Thanks a lot.
Here is another poem written for the same story. It is sort of a talk between Littlefoot, Cera, and Ducky. The situation is shortly after Littlefoot had a very strong feeling that his mother was "present" (something we've hardly ever seen since the first movie). The language doesn't really fit to the LBT characters, but when I first wrote it, it sounded even more archaic:

Morning light

Littlefoot: She was here this morning
    Though I couldn’t see her face
    It is not mere yearning
    That brought me to this place
Ducky:     Your mother, she did call you?
    Before daylight fell?
    I beg, what did she tell you?
    Or don’t you want to tell?
Littlefoot: It is not like she was speaking
    And say, ëdo this or that’
    I rather sense her presence
    But this certainly means something
    Is gonna happen yet
Cera:    Littlefoot, what do you mean?
What are you telling us?
What is gonna happen?
And what shall we do thus?
Littlefoot: I really do not know Cera
    I frankly have no idea
    All I know is that whenever I sensed her yet
    And important event was about to take place
    Something good sometimes, and sometimes something bad...

    Anyway, for me there is no reason to stay
    I do not sense her anymore
    Morning light has passed away...

Petrie · **Reply #5 on:** December 20, 2004, 02:30:27 PM

*nods* That came out really well too, even turning into free verse at the end to explain the situation. :^.^:

Malte279 · **Reply #6 on:** January 23, 2005, 10:58:23 AM

This is one of my oldest LBT poems and it sounds a little bumpy. It would fit into a scene of my current LBT story where it would be uttered by Littlefoot's grandpa (not that I mean to use it, as it just doesn't sound like LBT). He is refering to a solar eclipse in the poem. I had planned to involve a solar eclipse in an LBT story ever since I saw one in 1999, so I'm not copying anything from LBT 10. The circumstances in my story are totally different ones. Anyway, here is the poem:

The air grew chill
The shadow fell
And bright circle turned dark
But scary as it was to us the threehorns too stood still
What happened in the sky today none of us can tell
But now that shadow passed away and air again grew warm
I thing indeed this scary occurrence spared us much worse harm
We fled across the river ford from horns’ tips in twilight’s cover
But don’t feel save too early friends, the danger is not yet over
It is time to face the whole sad truth
It is time to make up our minds
If threehorns’ wrath we cannot tame
No matter what we do, no matter if we fight or hide
Our Great Valley won’t be the same
What worth is to us the most splendid place with this permanent menace?
Our live will be nothing like before, but become a permanent chase
Believe me friends I know what I say and it fill me too with grieve
But for our safeties sake we’ve no choice but to leave
Only one route of escape is still open to us
We have to take that last path
And walk on the ashen-covered slopes
Up to Burning Mountain’s pass

Platvoet en zijn Vriendjes · **Reply #7 on:** January 24, 2005, 04:31:06 PM

Nice one

Petrie · **Reply #8 on:** January 24, 2005, 08:09:38 PM

That's a nice poem there, and you were right...parts are pretty choppy...that often happens if one tries to write a poem in rhyme and it doesn't work out perfectly well.

Malte279 · **Reply #9 on:** March 11, 2005, 08:49:33 AM

Here is another poem, a kind of lyrical dialogue, based on a scene from my story "Old Threehorns". It doesn't sound like LBT unfortunately. Parts of it are just way too... well theatrical. Too flowery speech and stuff. There are two different versions of the poem, one rhyming (sort of

) and one in free verse. As for the characters speaking, Tops is Cera's father and Tritus a very good friend of him. This is the "rhyming" version:

Tritus:   You know Tops my old friend
   I am no Çold threehornë
   It’s not what for I stand
   Whom you knew is not forlorn

   But I cannot go with you now
   Do you understand?
   I fear where there is light is shadow
   Do you comprehend?

Tops:   I know you’re no ëold threehorn’ ëfriend’
   You’re so much, so much worse!
   You know that what you do is wrong
   But your course it does not reverse!

   If a very last bit of your honour is left
   That was so dearly defended today
   You will look after Cera, through what will happen
   And stop her from straying of HER way!

And this is the free verse version:

Tritus:   Tops wait!
   Wait and listen to me!

Tops:   What? What?
   Is there anything left
   That needs to be said?
   That is not clear already?

Tritus:   I am who I was
   I have not changed as much as you think
   You know I’m no ëold threehorn’ friend

Tops:   No my ëfriend’
   I do know that
   You’re so much, so much worse!
   You know that what you do is wrong
   And still you’re doing it
   If there is a very last bit of your honour left
   That was so dearly defended toda
   Then you will look after Cera
   Through what is going to happen
(rushes away)

Tritus:   Farewell Tops!
   I shall my friend!
   I shall!