PAPA BOIS: A PREQUEL
He was a boy,
just a little trini boy
Like any other boy
Pitching marble
Hoarding marble
Swapping marble
Till one day
Oh what a day
A memorable day
He wandered into the forest
The thick dense forest
Spirit and tree filled forest
He was never seen again
No one heard his voice again
His friends looked for him again and again
Till years [after]
Friends who became hunters [after]
Sometimes swore they saw [after]
A familiar face flash by
A face aged now, but with horns
A face older than the hills.
© gillena cox 2024
[Papa Bois image from google]
##Papa Bois, a French patois word for "father wood" or "father of the forest" is a popular fictional character in Trinidad and Tobago folklore
He is the protector of the plants and the animals in the forests. He is half animal and half human. The lower half of his body is of a goat and the upper part of his body (his head, chest, and arms) is like a man's except that he has two horns coming out of his forehead.
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Well, Gillena, I learned something tonight from Trinidad and Tobago folklore, I had not heard of "Papa Bois" before. Thank you, now, if I can just remember him. I still have my boyhood marbles, they are in Mom's small glass butter churn.
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Thanks for your appreciation Jim
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I had not heard about him... but love that he might be a very real little boy before becoming a myth.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Björn
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Another new and interesting folk story, Gillena, and I read the prequel first! I love the idea of a protector of forest plants and animals in the forests. He’s a bit like a centaur, I suppose. From marbles to plants and animals – not a bad deal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Kim
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It's great to hear new folk stories from other places. Thank you so much for sharing...I enjoyed reading.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Di
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Thank you for introducing me to this story, it is always a delight to me to read about folklore I did not read about before. I love the form of the poem, it reminds me of nursery rhymes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Oloriel
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This is gorgeously rendered, Gillena. I had not heard of this story so thank you for introducing me to it. 💖💖
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Sanaa
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Hi Sanaa, my poem is not of story told before. It is my imagination of who i think Papa Bois could have been😊
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I actually got chills reading your prequel Gillena ... your note of explanation. Beautifully composed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Helen
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oooh Gillena, thank you for sharing some of your folklore with us! I enjoyed this so much....especially these words "just a little trini boy" which just place the tale so well. Your note of explanation helped me understand the prequel and yes....get chills as Helen said! You've described Papa Bois so well here!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Lillian
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Gillena, I'd never heard of this character, but you really bring the prequel of Papa Bois to life with a vivid portrayal of his childhood and mysterious transformation in the forest!
ReplyDeleteMuch love,
David
SkepticsKaddish.com
B
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation David
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Very nicely done, Gillena. I enjoyed your story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Dwight
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Loved this, Gillena, thanks for introducing me to Papa Bois! 😊
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Dora
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At first I thought you were writing about Pan, but like the other commenters, was delighted to learn about a new folk story. For some reason, when I was reading, I heard it as singing, in Nat King Cole's voice, like his song Nature Boy. Thoroughly enjoyable, Gillena!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your appreciation Kim Glover
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