Perciville Rabinowitz; The perceptive, rambling pack rat
Wise Man
When I was a child, I dreamed of being a wise man
Sitting beneath a tree surrounded by curious children
teaching them lessons, telling a story or a fable,
Helping them to know, of great things they are able.
But along the way I had much to learn,
gaining most ground when a passion did burn.
For that is the key to learning and growing
Sadly, many go through life without ever knowing.
With both open mind and heart, you will grow.
Take in everything, wherever you go.
It takes time and experience if you want to be
That wise man, with children, beneath a tree.
Skip Fleming
12/25/02
Revised 02/12/16
When I found Perciville at Barnes and Noble, (he was just sitting there smiling at me!) I knew he would be a part of my work with children as a Naturalist/Interpreter at the Rifle State Parks complex. It was while I was playing my Native American flute, singing songs and telling stories about Perciville, that I realized this poem had come to fruition. Percy has traveled with me ever since and the story has grown. Much of the content, of stories here in, came from or are based on the history of my family and my own experiences. I hope you enjoy:
Perciville Rabinowitz; The perceptive, rambling pack rat
Perciville Rabinowitz; The perceptive, rambling pack rat
“The Start of the Adventure”
His mom, Peny, was a farm rat from England. His dad Rabi was a roof rat from Israel. Rabi decided to see the world and traveled through Europe, finally arriving in England. In London he met a pretty young rat named Peny, who had just left the farm to see what else there was in the world. After a few weeks in London, while visiting the docks by the Thames River (pronounced ‘tems”), they decided to sneak onto a tramp steamer* that was bound for America! By chance, they landed in a town called New London which sits on the Thames (pronounced like “James”) River in Connecticut.
Percy’s family lived in the 92/94/96 Bank Street building, which housed the Darrow & Comstock Ship Chandlers business. It originally opened in 1876, just a block away but now occupied the first floor and three levels of basement at its current location. It was a business that had anything you could need to maintain any kind of ship or boat including all kinds and sizes of rope. In the second level basement the wall was made from smooth river rocks, some were round, others more oval. Peny and Rabi found a deserted corner where a stone had fallen out of the wall leaving a large gap, resembling a small cave. There they made their nest, called a midden. This was where, in 1926, Perciville Rabinowitz was born!
Percy is waiting to ramble
I write to keep the edges of old places clear before time smooths them away.
A
… just who is Perciville Rabinowitz?
Where did he come from, where has he been, who has he met? How did he get to be who he is?
Well, he’s a pack rat, he’s very neat and organized, a good listener, very open minded, positive and very perceptive*. He’s rambled to so many places, meeting many interesting people and animals. He has had so many experiences that he’s become very wise over his long life. He loves all kinds of music. He has a fondness for sea chanteys and folk music because of the stories they tell. He loves the outdoors, especially the forests, oceans, rivers and caves.
Along with his friend Skip*, he has rambled across the country many times from Connecticut to California, Washington to Florida, been in 39 states, seen 13 National parks, several National monuments and many state parks. He’s been to the Rose Parade and also The Daytona 500 car race. He’s seen a major league baseball game and gone to the Caribbean on a cruise. He’s heard a symphony and seen a couple of plays, been rock climbing and snow shoeing, kayaking and bicycling.
Above all he likes to share what he has learned by telling stories to children, young or old. His favorite saying is “I may be getting older but I refuse to grow up!” (he got that from Skip). Now he’s telling his stories for all to hear.
So, let’s go back to the beginning…