The Runaway Bunny

The Runaway Bunny

(1942)

By: Margaret Wise Brown

Once there was a little bunny who wanted to run away.

So he said to his mother, “I am running away.”

“If you run away,” said his mother, “I will run after you.

For you are my little bunny.”

“If you run after me,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a fish in a trout stream

and I will swim away from you.”

“If you become a fish in a trout stream,” said his mother,

“I will become a fisherman and I will fish for you.”

“If you become a fisherman,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a rock on the mountain, high above you.”

“If you become a rock on the mountain high above me,”

said his mother, “I will become a mountain climber,

and I will climb to where you are.”

“If you become a mountain climber,”

said the little bunny,

“I will be a crocus in a hidden garden.”

“If you become a crocus in a hidden garden,”

said his mother, “I will be a gardener. And I will find you.”

“If you are a gardener and find me,”

said the little bunny, “I will be a bird

and fly away from you.”

“If you become a bird and fly away from me,”

said his mother, “I will be a tree that you come home to.”

“If you become a tree,” said the little bunny,

“I will become a little sailboat,

and I will sail away from you.”

“If you become a sailboat and sail away from me,”

said his mother, “I will become the wind

and blow you where I want you to go.”

“If you become the wind and blow me,” said the little bunny,

“I will join a circus and fly away on a flying trapeze.”

“If you go flying on a flying trapeze,” said his mother,

“I will be a tightrope walker,

and I will walk across the air to you.”

“If you become a tightrope walker and walk across the air,”

said the bunny, “I will become a little boy

and run into a house.”

“If you become a little boy and run into a house,”

said the mother bunny, “I will become your mother

and catch you in my arms and hug you.”

“Shucks,” said the bunny, “I might just as well

stay where I am and be your little bunny.”

And so he did.

“Have a carrot,” said the mother bunny.

I first heard some of those lines in the movie Wit starring Emma Thompson. It was one of the movies that my classmates suggested to watch for our End-of-Life-Care film viewing during our Medical-Surgical Nursing class, since the protagonist in the story had been diagnosed of stage IV Ovarian Cancer. I planned to write a reflection on the said movie but a lot of things happened and the only thing that is vivid in my memory (well aside from how great the nurse was in the movie) is the moment where Vivian Bearing had her only visitor in the hospital, her professor and mentor Evelyn Ashford, who read her an excerpt of this very beautiful book, just like a mother would. It was a sad thing to watch. Imagine my tears.

I really find this story wonderful. I can imagine myself in bed reading this story to my children (I do think we have a copy of this somewhere). Sigh, this makes me sad and makes me want to cry (oh, I can't help it! T_T). It's just that I can somehow relate to it, not that I'm into running away sort of things, it's actually not me per se. Needless to say, I know a few people who are/were in this sort of situation. Or maybe I just miss my mom. It's hard to explain and too personal.

It's really nice and securing to know that you will always have someone to be with you no matter what happen. That no matter where you'll go, she'll always follow you and find you, whoever you turned out to be, she'll still love you and bring you home... and hug you... and love you. Sigh. Indeed, a Mother's Love!

Though in the movie, this was used as an "allegory of the soul being pursued by God". Vivian in the movie, is not that much of a religious and a people person and at the end regrets her lack of relationship with God and with other people around her. The Runaway Bunny portrays God's love for his people. whatever we have done against Him, whoever we become unlikely of Him, wherever we go away from Him, He will always be there, following us, finding us, waiting for us.That despite everything we have done, He will always have His word on our promised salvation. Unconditional Love!

So let's not make our life and God's life (?) difficult.

We might just as well stay where we are and be His little bunny!

That's it!

Isn't it nice to ponder on such things?

Cool Fact: Wit is actually a play from which the movie was based from and its playwright is named Margaret Edson.
Two amazing Margarets here!

I got the original picture of the bunnies here.

Be my reader! :)