The Goblins of Chestnut Wood.

Deep in the woods near Chestnut Farm  
Lived three little Goblins, full of charm,
Each had made Chestnut Wood his home
the perfect place for a mischevious gnome!

Their homes were shaped like a plump mushroom,
Out of each chimney rose a smokey plume,
because whatever the season, chilly or hot,
the goblins had a fire burning, more often than not.

Their houses were beautifully painted, so bright
that they shone and dazzled in the morning light,
And each had a bell , and a broom for the floor,
and pretty flowers arranged in pots round the door.

Each goblin was small with a turned up nose,
They had twinkling eyes and funny little toes.
Their clothes were bright and they could always be seen
in their favourite colours, red, yellow and green

They wore shirts and shorts and a tunic and belt,
And a little peaked hat which was made out of felt.
Their hats had a feather, once worn by a bird.
Pheasant or partridge they usually preferred.

The goblins wore boots which were made out of leather,
Waterproof and comfy to keep out wet weather.
And sometimes a cape with a detachable hood,
And sometimes gloves if the weather wasn’t good.

The Goblins were kind to the woodland beasts,
inviting them in to their midnight feasts,
But sometimes the goblins were naughty and bad,
Playing tricks on people and making them mad.

No one was sure what the goblins would do,
But sometimes they left folk some sort of clue
Like the time they stole eggs from Blackberry Farm,
On the straw in the henhouse they left a small charm.

Once they had painted a pig with green blotches.
Another night changed the time on folks’ watches.
They took milk from the door steps and washing off lines
and changed the direction of country road signs.

Folk said that they painted the Bluebells in spring,
And created a recipe for the buzzy bee’s sting.
They helped dig the burrows for rabbits and moles,
And helped shrews and mice find safe little holes.

In summer they played with the gentle warm breeze
that fluttered the grass and the leaves in the trees.
They played hide and seek, teasing the fish in the stream,
And on summer nights played with a friendly moonbeam.

In autumn they helped stock each squirrel’s small drey
with nuts, which in winter would keep hunger away.
They turned all the leaves red and yellow and brown.
then spun them as they floated and quietly dropped down.

They collected wild flowers and bundles of hay
to soften and perfume their beds as they lay,
and also to make sure their friends were supplied
with warm bedding when it became colder outside.

In the winter they turned  the skies miserable grey
and somehow they managed to shorten the day.
On cold mornings they helped the icy Jack Frost
with his fingers the landscape, he cleverly glossed.

At Christmas the goblins went out in the woods.
Wearing capes and gloves they pulled up their hoods
They visited their friends, every dwelling and house,
The fox, the rabbit, the owl and the mouse.

They gave little gifts they had made by themselves,
A skill they had learned from their neighbours, the Elves.
And when they were done and feeling quite jolly
they painted red berries on all of the holly.

At the start of the new year the Goblins were tired.
They stayed in their beds,  a long rest was required.
They needed to sleep because Spring would come soon
Along with the Cuckoo, and the Nightingale’s tune.

So the tired little Goblins got plenty of sleep,
Carefully the animals would softly creep,
making no noise till the first day of spring,
when suddenly all woodland birds started to sing.

The Goblins would wake and get quickly to work.
Their springtime jobs they would never ever shirk.
They were helpful and good, but misunderstood
by the folk who lived out beyond Chestnut Wood
©DF2007