Querulous Parrot!
[SQUAWK] Why does Captain Cracker squawk complaints from dawn to dusk? Why's the cracker "much too crunchy," why's the perch "an awful husk"? Why's the weather...
[SQUAWK]
Why does Captain Cracker squawk complaints from dawn to dusk? Why's the cracker "much too crunchy," why's the perch "an awful husk"? Why's the weather always wrong, too sunny or too grey? Why's the cage "a tiny prison" every livelong day? He grumbles at his water bowl, he grumbles at his seed, He grumbles at the other birds who chirp when he needs quiet, indeed. A parrot with a thousand fusses, whining loud and clear, Querulous complaints come squawking every time you're near.
QUERULOUS! Complaining, whiny, cross, Fussing over every little detail, every little loss. QUERULOUS! A grumble for each thing, Nothing's ever quite enough for Captain Cracker's wing. QUERULOUS! It wears the whole room down, A constant stream of little gripes can turn a smile to frown. QUERULOUS! Complaints instead of joy, Cracker, is there something else that we could try, or employ?
Why's the cracker crumbling wrong, why's the mirror smudged with grime, Why's the swing "a half an inch too slow" every blessed time? The other parrots tried to help, brought fresh seed, cleaned his cage, Still Cracker found some small complaint to fuel his fussy rage. "The seed is stale, the cage is cold, the swing creaks when it moves," Nothing that his crewmates did seemed ever quite to prove That they had tried their honest best to make his life feel right, Querulous complaints kept coming morning, noon, and night.
QUERULOUS! Complaining, whiny, cross, Fussing over every little detail, every little loss. QUERULOUS! A grumble for each thing, Nothing's ever quite enough for Captain Cracker's wing. QUERULOUS! It wears the whole room down, A constant stream of little gripes can turn a smile to frown. QUERULOUS! Complaints instead of joy, Cracker, is there something else that we could try, or employ?
One day the first mate, Ruby, quietly sat down and said, "Cracker, every day I hear complaints from foot to head. I wonder what it's like inside, to notice only what feels wrong, When maybe there's a little good that's hiding in your song." Cracker blinked, surprised to hear a friend so calm and true, He thought about the seed, the swing, the things his crewmates do. For the first time in a long while, he noticed something bright, The sunset through the porthole, painting orange on the night.
"That sunset," Cracker said out loud, "is actually quite fine," It was the smallest compliment, but the first in a long line. He tried it once more, "Ruby, thanks for cleaning out my cage," His crewmates blinked in wonder at this brand new, gentler stage. He still complains sometimes, a squawk about the rain, But now he balances his gripes with gratitude again. Querulous can soften when you notice what is good, A single thankful word can shift a grumpy mood, and should.
Everybody grumbles now and then about a thing or two, A broken toy, a rainy day, a chore you have to do. But when the grumbling never stops, it drowns out all the rest, The good things hiding right beside the things that feel like less. So notice one small good thing, even on your grumpiest day, A friend, a sunset, a warm seed, a game you get to play. It does not mean you cannot share the things that feel unfair, Just balance every grumble with a little bit of care.
QUERULOUS! Complaining, whiny, cross, Fussing over every little detail, every little loss. QUERULOUS! A grumble for each thing, Nothing's ever quite enough for Captain Cracker's wing. QUERULOUS! It wears the whole room down, A constant stream of little gripes can turn a smile to frown. QUERULOUS! Complaints instead of joy, Cracker, is there something else that we could try, or employ?
QUERULOUS, querulous, Cracker's learning still, To balance every grumble with a gentler kind of will. [SQUAWK] Thanks for the cracker.