by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Barney, the Purple Dinosaur

Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, Photo by Katey Batavia

Barney, the Purple Dinosaur

In October, from Russia, Katey and Joe,

came to Florida twenty-five years ago.

Friends and relatives sent gifts of welcome.

Hanukkah and Christmas gifts filled our home!

That January, when Katey turned five,

we agreed that a book was the best gift to give.

On Katey’s birthday, when Papa came home,

the birthday plans all came undone!

When Papa came in, Katey was overjoyed.

Between Papa’s feet was a Barney toy.

From the wheelchair, Barney saw his new place.

A gigantic grin spread over Papa’s face.

Katey kissed Barney’s purple cheek,

and the talking dinosaur began to speak.

In his goofy voice, Barney said, “I love you.”

It was unmistakable, Katey loved him too!

We lost Papa six years later in January,

weeks before Katey’s eleventh birthday.

Barney lived with Katey for twenty-three years.

His demise last year left Katey in tears.

This year, I found on Amazon,

Katey’s Christmas present, a Barney clone!

Barney now lives in Texas, where he’ll say,

“I love you,” to Katey every day.

Katey Batavia and Barney, Photo by Katey Batavia

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

My late husband, Drew, and I adopted Katey and Joe from Russia in October, 1995. We lived in Miami Beach, and Drew, AKA “Papa,” was a very devoted father until his death in January, 2003. Katey now lives near Dallas, Texas with her older sister Ellen, a cat, a dog, and two other roommates. The new Barney, the Purple Dinosaur, just joined the household.

67 Comments

    1. Thank you, Michel, for your kind words. Glad you liked the poems about my family. I am trying to write a poem or two about each of them, something to leave behind. I always enjoy reading about your familyl. Hope you are well and enjoying a wonderful holiday season.
      Love ❤
      Cheryl

      Like

      Reply

      1. I try to be well, Cheryl .
        Thanks for your wishes of good holidays season . You know we are in the lockdown, Christmas included because of the corona virus ,! So no familial gathering this year! (for the first time )

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Michel, I had heard that you were having another surge, but I didn’t know about a lockdown. Some states in the US are also locked down. We already had Covid19 in April, but don’t know if we still have immunity. We have been staying at home because it isn’t safe to go anywhere. Florida won’t even let grocery stores require masks.

      Relatives don’t live close, so it is just the two of us also. At least we have each other. I wish you and Jeanine a happy Christmas together. We will hope for a much better New Year!

      Love ❤
      Cheryl

      Like

      Reply

  9. Oh to hear the words and sit of Barney again after so many years brought back such memories Cheyrl! He was a staple in our household. Kate will love this and what a tribute to you and your late husband Drew as well adopting Katey and Joe. Lovely poem you wrote!!!! Blessings, ❤️Cindy

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Cindy, for sharing your kind thoughts. I guess kids still love Barney. When I went on Amazon, I found many versions. The one I bought is an antique, one year newer than his predecessor, still in the original box. It’s good to know that Barney was loved at your house too. 🙂 Glad you liked the poem! Happy Holidays! ❤ Cheryl

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. It’s always my pleasure to hear your poetry Cheyrl. Wow, good to know as I thought he might be retired by now. WOW, Kate will be so happy to receive as a treasured gift! Yes, I have vivid memories of singing his I love you song! The poem was great. Thanks Cheyrl and to you as well!!!!! ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, it is remarkable! I think Barney is especially meaningful to Katey because it is a link to her father. Also, when she received Barney, Katey was still learning English and Barney talked to her and sang, “I love you!”

      Thank you for your comment. ❤ Have a great day, Joe!

      Like

      Reply

      1. Those links are so powerful. My fiance is starting to buy baby stuff, and every time she buys something with Mickey Mouse on it I think of my late grandmother, who loved Mickey. It’s definitely a blessing to feel like Mamaw is with us, even if only in spirit.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Those special memories of our grandparents inspire and guide us all of our lives! ❤ We are fortunate to have known them. My father's parents were a big part of my life. I wish I had known my mother's parents. I always enjoyed my mother's stories about them. 🙂

      It's an exciting time in life waiting for a new baby! Best wishes, and every happiness to you, Joe! ❤ Yay, Mickey Mouse!

      Like

      Reply

    1. Thank you, Morag, for visiting and commenting. I am glad you could relate to the poem. Those shows must still be in syndication. I think Barney is still very popular. 🙂 When I went on Amazon to purchase a replacement Barney for my daughter’s Christmas present, I found many variations of Barney available. I purchased an antique Barney, one year newer than the one my daughter had. Best wishes to you and your family for the holidays! ❤

      Like

      Reply

  22. Lovely poem and a lovely story Cheryl 💖 Barney seems amazing and talks too!. The story is touching right from how Barney came till how he left, and came back again. And twenty three years is such a long association, the demise must have been so painful.

    We build up many such stories don’t we? My daughter had two small teddy bears, pinkie and greeny. One day while playing in the balcony she accidentally dropped pinkie and we never found pinkie again – maybe some other child found and took him home. My daughter was absolutely heartbroken and disconsolate, till my sister bought her a bigger pinkie.

    Hope you are doing well Cheryl, preparing for Christmas!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thank you for sharing your daughter’s story, Deb. ❤ Some objects have such strong attachments and associations! Your sister gave her a very welcome gift! ❤

      So happy you enjoyed the poem! Your kind comments are very much appreciated! We are doing well. The wreath and poinsettias are at the entrance, and the stockings are hung! The little snow globe music box is on the table to play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." 🙂

      There is a surprise if you read the poem, "Love Flourishes."

      A Happy New Year to you and your family! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Like

      Reply

  23. I bet Katey was so happy that day all those years ago to get Barney. And what a wonderful thing to get a Barney clone for Katey this year. This gave me goosebumps, it’s so sweet. What a thoughtful thing to do  ♥

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  25. Having just clicked through some of your poetry I just found this. Barney was a big deal in this household too, down to arguing with a 3 year old that in this country we have Autumn, not fall with a drawn out accent that didn’t fit!
    Memories to smile by.
    Thank you x

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet Cancel reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s