WITH WHITE ZEBRAS
AND BLACK STRIPES
THERE WAS A LAND OF NIGHT
WITH BLACK ZEBRAS
AND WHITE STRIPES
Written by
ALLAN PORTER
© 1970
PART I
There was a land of very dark
Without even a trace of light
There were just stars and only
A moon in the distant land of night
You couldn't even see the horizon
Or things distant or things afar
The only way you could take a walk
Was to follow the nearest star
It may seem strange to you
To know that night time is all the time
But to tell the time of night
You had to listen to the watch's chime
The best time when all was well
Was when the land was covered in snow
For when you could see more and more
And even how tall one could grow
The strangest thing about this land
Was that the only one there
Were zebras with many stripes
The zebra was black but the stripes fair
He roamed and galloped in the land
He ate from the dark bushes and plants
He bathed in the dark rivers and lakes
And for fun he would jump and dance
He had many zebra friends
All with black bodies and stripes white
They were kind to each other
With only the hope to see some light
PART II
There was a land of very bright
Without even the trace of night
There was the sun and sky and clouds
And the whole day was always light
You could see the horizon
And the mountains with snow
The lakes and rivers
Were all in the sun aglow
It may seem strange for you
That daytime is always
You need only look at the clock's face
To tell the time of day
The best time when all was well
Was when the sun did shine
After a long heavy rain
Then all glistened and looked so fine
The strangest thing about this land
Were zebras with stripes galore
The zebras were white with black stripes
The same on their houses and doors
They roamed and galloped in the land
Then ate from berries and bushes green
Then swam in the blue rivers and lakes
And color was also in their dreams
He had many zebra friends
All with white bodies and stripes black
And is any one was missing
He could look to the front and back
PART III
It happened one day not long ago
In the land of color and light
The white zebras with black stripes
Decided to make a trip and took to flight
They came upon the edge of the forest
And closed their ranks between the trees
They entered with caution cantering slow
They peered through and felt the breeze
The first zebra slowed to a walk
The second looked down with glee
And saw his shadow and called out
Look my friends ,what do you see?
The third zebra saw a second shadow
The fourth claimed to see a third
The fifth an sixth zebras
Saw the fourth and fifth then heard
"Why we are surrounded by shadows
and the deeper in the woods we go
so little light is seen"
Total darkness as they walked in a row
Zebra one said to zebra seven
How strange it is to be in the dark
We entered the empty world of shadow
Why, trees have lost the color of bark
With color hues disappearing before them
They slowly walked in the world of night
All became values of black.white and gray
And they circled together in fright
A call from the distance came to ear
"Are you lost my brothers in our land"
Come without fear to friends of the dark
We are brothers and understand
The voices were coming from afar
And the zebras of the land of day
moved hesitating in a huddle
following the calls so far away
As the voices came near
And the woods deep pitch black
Colors were almost void
When zebra five said lets turn back
"Welcome to the land of night and from
Where do you come?"from a voice nearby
From the land of day far away
The zebras said with a sigh
The land of day?
Questioned the next brother
Where and what is that strange land?
"It is not dark like here ,it is other
OTHER THAN WHAT?
PART IV
It is difficult to explain
In mere words and simple fact
For we speak in terms of color
Not in white to gray to black
Suppose we make the trip
Then, you can learn the tradition
So even you can tell the colors
In all and every position
They began to walk
To the boarder of the night
They reached the woods
And saw a twinkle of light
The approach seemed different now
For all that took place was in reverse
Night was turning into day
Not day to night in verse
Their shadows began to diminish
While as before they increased
The shadows became less and less
Until all but one had ceased
So here we are in the land of day
Where the hues become an attitude
As one saw red, yellow ,blue and green
With brown and purple in multitude
"My", said the zebras from the night
"It is other than what we could believe
There are more colors in one gray tone
As there are holes in a sieve"
.
Why the water is blue as the sky
The grass is green like trees
The fruits are red, orange,blue and green
And the yellow wheat moves in the breeze
Black and white describes the form
The values of grades in terms of gray
And shades of form in light and dark Giveaway to the colors in the land of day
Oh! how wonderful our world can be
To see things in color galore
And that which sparkles and gleams
This is the world I do adore
Oh what we have missed and couldn't see
And did not even mind
In our simplicity in grades of gray
Only now to know, we are color blind
The world cannot be all the same
With us black zebras of the night
Yet the white zebras of the day
To return to dark with only fright
Behold my friends of day and night
There seems to be something wrong
When I look at us very close
One can't determine to whom we belong
It is true ,says zebra seven to zebra ten
We have changed or we are the same
But what is it that makes us feel
We are not who we are in form or name
Our stripes changed from light to dark
Night we are black with stripes of white
At day we are white with stripes of black
Now we are all black striped body light
The zebras looked to each other
Quite sincere and inquisitive
It seems to be a fact of truth
That who and where we are is relative
FIN