YZ the Owl
Illustrated by Stephanie Edwards
In the forest every day,
on a tall, slender birch,
sat a clever owl named Y.Z.,
with his pupil he would perch.
All the forest creatures
needed help from old Y.Z.
“Advice, just like the alphabet,
will always end with me.”
Early morning there arrived
a bluebird in distress.
“I’m hoping you can help me find
the best place for my nest.”
“The trees are over-crowded,
and it’s not safe on the ground.
Just use some creativity-
the right place can be found.”
The pupil was bewildered.
“Well, that wasn’t very wise!
If she listens to you, Y.Z.,
I will really be surprised.”
Next a set of antlers came
atop a troubled deer,
“I seem to scare off all my pals.
with my over-the-top headgear!”
“Little deer try not to worry,
I will solve this in a snap.
What I want for you to do
is go and take a nap.”
The pupil was astonished.
“Well, that wasn’t very wise!
If he listens to you, Y.Z.,
I will really be surprised.”
Next a masked raccoon came by,
he wore a gloomy look.
“I fall in love with humans,
But they think I’m such a crook.”
“Critters make them anxious,
yet they think their pets are cute.
We’ll fix you up with some mud.
Oh, this will be a hoot.”
The pupil was appalled.
“Well, that wasn’t very wise!
If he listens to you, Y.Z.,
I will really be surprised.”
Later came an anxious fox,
on pitter-patter feet.
“I’m just so tired of my den,
I want a penthouse suite!”
“Living underneath the ground
can be tricky, little guy.
But no need to worry-
just go and learn to fly.”
The pupil’s feathers ruffled.
“You haven’t got a clue!
It seems that you are teaching me
just what not to do!”
“Young pupil, you will learn,
there's no need to boo-hoo-hoo.
Why don't we just go and see
what some sound advice can do?”
The two they flew off searching
and they rather quickly found,
the first two friends they’d tried to help
were nestled on the ground.
“You said to be creative,
so I made our house a hat.
Now my nest’s a mobile home,
and fashionable at that!”
The pupil was quite startled.
“That was wacky, weird advice.
But she listened to you, Y.Z.,
and it turned out rather nice.”
“You were right about my naptime,
for when I went to bed,
I woke with joy to find that
pals had moved in on my head.”
The pupil was dumbfounded.
“That was silly, strange advice.
But he listened to you, Y.Z.,
and it turned out rather nice.”
It wasn’t long before they
saw raccoon from up above.
And to their great surprise they found
he seemed to be— in love?
“I was never meant to live
inside like some house pet.
I’ll be so happy staying
with this lady I just met.”
The pupil was in shock.
“That was odd, offbeat advice.
But he listened to you, Y.Z.,
and it turned out rather nice.”
So far Y.Z. had helped them all,
but still- foxes cannot fly.
So the pupil was astonished
when they found him up so high.
“Flying was quite risky,
but relocation was a breeze.
I’m underground, but out my door,
I see the tops of trees.”
The pupil, feeling silly,
said, “I must apologize.
I’m feeling very unprepared,
and certainly not wise.”
“I’ll let you know one secret,
I’ll share with only you-
Wisdom’s more than being wise,
it takes some dumb luck too.”
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