The Never Child

Long ago in London town, a fretful boy flew all around.
His destination – the Darling home.
A place he found he loved to roam.
What he sought was his shadow.
To lose it was a terrible blow.

The Darling daughter, by the name of Wendy, luckily was pretty handy.
With a needle and some thread, she reattached his silhouette.
But Wendy wasn’t just a seamstress.
Her stories really did impress.

The lost boy, Peter, then decided
To take Wendy on an adventure provided
She would now become a mother to himself and all his brothers.
His home, he said, was Neverland – an island magical and grand.
A place where children never aged, mermaids swum and battles raged.

‘Oh, Peter!’ Wendy did reply.
‘How lovely it would be to fly.
But, only if my brothers too
Could join in our adventures new.’
‘The more the merrier,’ he cried.
‘Now, look for the second star to the right.’

While they flew above the sea,
Neverland was under siege.
The Lost Boys ran all over the place.
For they were the subject of a pirate chase.

Captain Hook and his first mate Smee
Sat and crafted a plan with glee.
Once, in a battle fought in style,
Peter had fed a crocodile
Hook’s own arm.
Can you believe it?
So, revenge was now Hook’s remit.

But, back to our children in the sky.
The Lost boys saw them flying by.
But mistook Wendy for a bird
And shot her down on Tinkerbell’s word.

Luckily she wasn’t harmed.
But, Peter was still quite alarmed.
He sent Tink packing, once and for all.
The meddlesome fairy had such gall.

The days went by. The children played.
They followed the leader, and they made
A home in the woods under the moon.
Just alongside the mermaid lagoon.

One fateful day, Hook and Smee
Entered the lagoon tentatively.
They had a captive in the water –
Tiger Lily – the great chief’s daughter.
Peter, ready for a fight,
Taunted the pirates left and right.
But found himself all asunder.

‘To die would be a great adventure,’
He shouted from Marooner’s rock.
Bold and steadfast like the croc.
Rescued by the Never bird’s nest.
Off went Peter, home to rest.

But, not long after, Hook was back.
And with him came a deadly trap.
A fatal drug he slipped inside
A cup in Peter’s treetop hide.
When Peter went to take a sip
Tink flew in between his lips.
She spun around and fluttered down –
A dying fairy on the ground.

To bring her back Peter knew
Exactly what he had to do.
A plea all children did receive
For all to say they did believe
In fairies.
Shout it loud and clear.
They answered ‘yes’ for all to hear.

Tink was back, but Wendy was gone.
And with her, Michael and young John.
Prisoners on the Jolly Roger.
With Captain Hook the pirate codger.
A battle fought against the clock.
Peter won and old tick-tock
Finished off the rest of Hook.
A dinner large but undercooked.

Full of adventure, but longing for home.
They returned to London the way they’d flown.
Wendy, John and Michael too.
Plus, many lost boys also who
Were adopted by the Darling crew
And all grew up the way kids do.

But Peter was a never child.
Young, eternal, free and wild.