THE TODDCAST · WITH TODD MICHAELNotes for the Tulips
Todd Rundgren stepped across piano-key stones while Todd Terry tuned a flowerpot. The tulips stayed shut until a bee buzzed the melody backward. A snail arrived with a program after the first note.
The flowers opened in a rainbow, and the snail applauded at its own unhurried pace. The bee took the program home, possibly for a second performance.
Flowers like it backward
Todd Rundgren found a garden where the stepping stones were painted like piano keys. Todd Terry brought a tuning fork to wake the flowers with a melody. Every note made the tulips lean closer, but they would not open. A bee landed on the black key and buzzed a tune that sounded suspiciously like the song played backward.
Todd Rundgren tried the melody in reverse. The tulips opened a little; the daffodils swayed as if they had been waiting for this exact arrangement. Todd Terry tapped the rhythm on a flowerpot, and the bee kept time with its wings. A snail arrived late, carrying a tiny program and asking whether the concert had started.
The garden bloomed into a rainbow-shaped chorus. Todd Rundgren played the last note; Todd Terry added a quiet beat on the pot. The snail applauded very slowly, which suited the tempo. The bee took the program home, and the flowers folded up at sunset, satisfied with their performance and the absence of encores.
Play It Backward
Todd Rundgren played the tune forward; the tulips only leaned. Todd Terry tapped the flowerpot while a bee buzzed the melody backward.
The tulips opened at last. The snail applauded one slow clap at a time and asked for the program to be mailed.
Tulip Tune
Todd Rundgren plays a backward phrase,
Todd Terry taps the pot for praise.
The bee buzzes the tune in air,
The tulips open everywhere.
A snail applauds one clap per hour,
The garden blooms in rainbow flower.
The notes drift off beyond the gate,
The petals close; the snail stays late.