Oh The (Home) Spaces You Will Go
by Olivia_Allin, HSM team writer
As a child, I was all about Dr. Seuss. I love the colorful, strange artworks and quirky rhymes. I never consciously derived much more from the fun loving adventure of The Cat in the Hat and never got inspiration from Green Eggs and Ham. I didn’t see One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish as a cautionary tale of the sea.
It wasn’t till my mid-twenties that I stumbled across my now favorite Dr. Seuss work, Oh the Places You Will Go. The timing was impeccable, as I was in a rut and feeling sorry for myself. This poem originally for children transcended age and spoke to me. I even made a poster of it and have it hanging in my office to this very day. I highly recommend reading the original to any and everyone.
Loving Home as I do, I saw how this epic poem could speak to this awesome virtual reality. So I set forth to tweak it to fit. Please enjoy this, but also read the original, too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
By the incomparable Dr. Seuss
(Adapted for Home)
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
Press Start and go play!!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU’ll move the joystick and decide where to go.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just ska dance right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Spaces You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high scorers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have booster speed.You’ll pass your whole friends list and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that freezing and poofing can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in turns one through six. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in the sticks.
You’ll come down from the leader board with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a space where the streets are not marked. A “Playground” they call it but the alleys are darked. Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start to race down Sodium 2 tracks at a break-necking pace, headed, I fear, toward a most useless space.
The Central Plaza space…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a noob to go or an update to come, or the lag to go or a friend to come, or a space to load, or for a free PSN code.
Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for a Better Break or some camo pants or free t-shirt, or Second Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Boxes are playing.
Oh, the spaces you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are mini games to be won. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win in the theater of community.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll get PMs that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, random friend requests between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though were your navigator will allow. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the troller’s howl.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange folks as you go. A FAQ feature would help quite a lot. To help you know if you should or should not. And answer such question like what, where and how. Pointing you in the right direction so onward you plow. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Virtual Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So… be your name DarthGranny or Rudie007 or Jersqualls
Or HearItWow or SealWyf or even GlassWalls, you’re off to Great Spaces!
Today is your day!
Your Aurora is waiting.
Sony gave us Home so let’s play!
September 18th, 2011 by Olivia_Allin | 22 comments
Olivia_Allin is a team writer, photographer, model, curator, graphic artist, researcher and comic relief for HomeStation Magazine; she lives in Texas with her boyfriend, and Home is more than just a game to her. Years ago she discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. On weekends, to let off steam, she participate in full-contact origami. She saw a Bigfoot once, made a sound you never want to hear twice, and was so proud of her Special Olympics gold medal that she had it bronzed. She is, in her own words, adorkable.
Awesome, love it!
Thank you so much for these kind words you say. I glad that you liked and have a great day.
Awesome comic relief Olivia.Perfect remedy to an all to serious world nowadays…
Though the poem has some wit and humorous part
The message is deeper between the ending and where it starts
But if it makes you smile then its job has been done
It makes you thing but in a way that is fun
Thanks! I needed that! Yay!
If it gave you what you needed, and I hope that is true
Then it did just exactly what I hoped it would do
If you really do like it, read it more then just twice
And tell all your friend, the hit count would be nice
No really the winning isn’t why I shared what written above
I just thought it fitting for this virtual world that I love
Dr. Suess would be proud Olivia! That was a great retake on one of what I consider to be one of his best books for children. I think it is a good reminder that Home can appeal to the child in all of us! Home is so whimsical and weird at times that you have to set aside your adult belief and let your imagination in, something that we as adults many times give up as we get older. Home can be something that sparks our imaginations and revives its use in us all. Well done!
There is still a kid in all of us no matter our age
Imagination runs rampant as you see on ever HSM page
With controller in hand and your butt in a chair
You have what it take to reach out and to share
So if you sit there and wait for the right time to blossom
Come grow with us on Home , you’ll see that is awesome
WOW Olivia! This is amazingly creative and hella cute! Can you write a rhyme like this for me to read to my daughter some time? I was reading this out loud to her and she was giggling. Loves it! TYVM!
Though the words are so good and have such great timing
I have not the talent for such awesome rhyme rhyming
The original is much better and that being said
Im glad that you liked reading my adaptation you just read
Google the title to read what Seuss made
Better yet, buy the book so he will get payed
Rhyming each reply to the comment ya’ll have written
May have exposed my behind to, how you say, getting bitten
Just enjoy what you read like eating pie with a spork
But please understand that I am a dork
So if you dont get a reply to you comment in rhyme
Know I would if I could but it takes so much time
I will do what I can, thats all I can do
But if I miss you please know that Im still thanking you
Each comment is awesome and I love all of them
Thanks for taking the time and visiting me on HSM
Dork
Awesomesauce!
A 1 word comment, he said “Awesauce”
Now I have to find words for which Im a loss
Now looking back I should have ought
Taken some time and given this more thought
HA!
Considering the usual, long-winded way
I reply to the things that others say
Four paragraphs I use for even light reflection
My short response applauds your poetic perfection
The fact that you’ve taken so much of your time,
to answer each person with a new silly rhyme,
shows all of us the kind of talent you’ve got.
even though many times you say you do not.
So continue to write here with no reservation,
for we all love what you do with true adoration,
you have the ability to make us laugh and cry,
and that is something that money can’t buy!
A dork you may be but we all love you still,
so stop apologizing and continue to fulfill,
the lives of those here who know that you care,
for you take us to places that few others dare.
Love ya Oli !!
What have I started, what do I see
Burbie taking the time to rhyme back at me
I know I can’t do this till the day that I die
My bucket is empty the rhyme well has run dry
Ringing brain to find words that will fit
Has crossed both my eyes and made yell Oh poo…What?
I have a friend who is a dork
when she eats she uses a spork
for she has no fork
when she eats pork
or watches Mindy and Mork
Wonderful, Olivia! I appreciate the mention.
Perhaps your next Seuss-channeling could be “Horton Hears a Noob”:
Please don’t give up! I believe it is true:
A person’s a person, no matter how new!
And you very new persons should do more than dance
Right on top of my face, wearing red default pants.
LOL Seal!! Too funny!
OMG Seal…to funny..lol