The day Max wore his wolf suit, he said not one thing not a hello
or a goodbye
His friend had called him “invisible”
And Max had said simply nothing
And his mind was thinking everything.
that very moment an unknown city grew within his classroom
it grew until the room had its own encompassing sky
It grew until all he could see was skyscraper after skyscraper
New roads stretched out with a private taxi just for Max
and he drove off into the city winding through roads
Lefts, rights, ups, and downs
Across bridges and through tunnels
to his unknown city.
And when he came to his unknown city
The people walked with purpose and acknowledged none
and they held their heads down and ducked in and out of stores without
saying a word
Till Max said “LOOK AT ME”
And charmed them with his magic trick
Of staring into each one of their eyes without blinking once
and they all saw him as the most unknown thing of all
and made him king of the unknown city.
“And now,” Max declared, “you may return to your ways.”
and the people of the unknown city went back to being
just as unknown as before.
“Everyone stop!” Max said and made each one of the unknown people
worship him
and Max, the king of them all, was lonely and wanted to be where he
didn't
have to declare his love.
he stepped down from the throne the
unknown people had created him
and gave up being the king of the unknown city
and the people of the unknown city went back to being
just as unknown as before.
and Max got back into his own private taxi
He went through the winding streets
rights, lefts, downs, ups
through tunnels and across bridges
and into the night of his very own room
where he found his friends waiting for him
And they had his favorite game
The day Max wore his wolf suit, he made destruction of one kind
and another.
no one said anything
not when he smashed the plate
not when he made holes in the wall
that moment his walls began to crumble
the ruins of the walls turned to sand
the ceiling above crumbled, revealing the red sun
he wandered in search of where wild things are
he looked in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
Max wanted to hear their terrible roars and see them
gnash their terrible teeth
he wanted to watch them roll their terrible eyes and
show him their terrible claws
but when Max said, “SHOW YOURSELVES.”
there were no wild things, there
was only sand and the sun above
he walked for days in each direction
and he looked in the caves while he escaped the heat
and he climbed the highest dune of all but
there were no wild things
not here or there
he stared into the lowering sun, trying to convince it
to bring him to where the wild things are
but the sun cannot be charmed, not like
the wild things or the unknown people
he cannot be king of them all if
there is no one to rule
he was the most isolated of all
Max wanted to be somewhere where he was seen.
Just then, a wild storm came
and it picked up the sand
and placed it in front of the sun
without the burning sun above Max
could not see even his hands
not even see his shoes
not even his wolf suit
The storm kept on
It stayed in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
when it was done, Max was back in his home
and his mom was there too
and the holes in his walls were fixed
and new plates waited for him on the counter
The night Max found his wolf suit, he sat alone for some time
and some more
his nurse told him to “Put the old thing away.”
and Max told her, “I Will Not.”
so she took his wolf suit away.
she pried it from his hands with her terrible claws
and laughed her horrible roars
and grinned her terrible teeth
Max said, “GIVE IT”
And he tried to charm her with his magic trick
Of staring into her eyes without blinking once
but she was not frighted, not even a bit
he was the most disrespected king of all
And Max, the disrespected king, was lonely and wanted to be where
someone loved him best of all.
That very night in Max’s room a forest grew
and grew-
and grew until his ceiling hung with vines
the ground rose to a rolling field of grass
and the walls became the world all around
and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max
and he sailed off through night and day
and in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
to where the wild things are.
And when he came to the place where the wild things are
they roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible teeth
till Max said, “Rember me?”
and tried to charm them with his magic trick
of staring into all their yellow eyes without blinking once
and they were frightened and knew nothing of him
Without Max’s wolf suit
The wild things didn't
remember their king
“And now,” cried Max, “let the wild rumpus start!”
And all of the wild things were delighted
They called max the most wild thing of all
All the wild things begged and begged for their king back
and Max wanted to be where he was remembered
So he sat atop his throne and began the wild rumpus
The wild things roared their terrible roars and gnashed their terrible
teeth
and rolled their terrible eyes and showed their horrible claws
And Max pushed his private boat off into the sea without him
The boat sailed alone
and in and out of weeks
and almost over a year
But Max had made it to where the wild things are
Where the wild things loved him for everything
he was and nothing he wasn't