Bernice The Brontosaurus

(AudioBook Option):

Bernice the Brontosaurus

had a little mental chorus

who told her every day,

“You’re not enough.”

Others said, “Oh sure, you’re pretty.”

But inside that small committee

tore down each and every word

as “silly fluff.”

She would stare into the mirror,

her reflection getting clearer

as she noticed every flaw

she wished to hide.

Like her belly – way too bulky!

And her forehead – flat and sulky.

And her legs like massive trunks –

oh, how she cried!!

“Why must every other dino -

well, at least the ones that I know –

have it SOOOOO much

easier than me?

Like that cute Triceratops

who just walks right in and flops

into any chair she likes –

she’s so dainty!

Or the handsome pterodactyl

with his wingspan like an axle,

he can fly away at will

and soar the sky.

Meanwhile here I am, just waiting

to become someone worth dating

but my body is so gross

no one will try!”

With that, she stomped in anguish

then she felt an inner pang, which

made her eyes well up with tears

and her face fall.

Just then, her older cousin

who was cooking for a dozen

took a break and made her way

along the hall.

“Hey Bernice, you got a minute?”

But she didn’t dare go in it,

even though they’d shared the room

since they were young.

“No, I’m fine,” Bernice was saying.

But then magic found its way in.

“Actually, I’m really not.

Do you have time?”

“For you, ALWAYS!” said her cousin.

And she burst in with some lovin’.

Brought that big ‘ol Bronto hug

(Dad would be proud.)

“Tell me, baby, what’s it ails ya?”

And they giggled; smacked their tails and

then Bernice knew she could

speak her truth out loud.

“I’m so ugly and disgusting.

No one ever will be lusting

for this yucky pile of flesh

I’m stuck inside.

And no matter what I try,

this body will not ply.

Sometimes I even make gross SMELLS –

oh, I could DIE!!!”

“Oh my love, I know your pain

yet there’s something you can gain

from a little-known truth

about the world.

See, your flesh is just the coating.

Deep inside, the real you’s floating.

It’s your spirit that’s your value,

like a pearl.

“Like a peanut shell??”

asked Bernice,

leaning forward like a cat.

And her cousin had to laugh,

“Well, I hadn’t thought of that!”

“But yes, just like a peanut shell

It flakes and pops ajar.

And what’s inside’s delicious

yet the “body” we discard.”

Bernice sat for several minutes

giving silence room to speak.

Then a knowing rose so clearly:

what’s inside her was the key!

She looked back into the mirror

saw her eyes had grown quite wide.

She could see the light within her –

what a flame she had inside!

“You are lovely,” said her cousin.

“And your soul burns bright and true.”

And Bernice could finally see it:

how her radiance shone through.

“Now there’s one more thing

that must be done

to guard your inner light.

Simply tell yourself

‘I love you’

every day and every night.”

Today, Bernice’s chorus

sings a very different tune.

“You’re not enough” has been replaced

by “I love all parts of you.”

She happily spends time with

Tracie-tops and Peter-dactyl.

And no matter what, she knows her worth:

Her spirit, it is special.

(JUST LIKE YOURS.)

🤍- Auntie LouLou