MFRH036

"Punctuality"

Three shadows ‘neath a pavorous night
Through eldritch fog did wade
Their eyes abeam with rank delight
Dressèd for masquerade

Six wooden clogs: clip-clop, clip-clop
In sottish syncopation
Outwith a house did stop, did stop
Feart with anticipation

Wherefore do cease the men beside
This tenement drowned in slumber?
…a SHRIEK they did hear from inside
Its barr’cades’ soggy lumber!

“What ghoulish gasp is this?” one quizzed
“Shall we not aid her in her stress?”
But he stood still, by horror seized
His blabb’ring mouth a blubb’ring mess

“My goodness!” cried the second one,
“You fiend! Yes, you inside, desist!
Or I shall go to fetch my gun!”
He, wildly quaking, did insist

The third, a bold and worthy knight
Did on the door proceed to knock
And did, after ‘round taking sight
Pick up a slightly sharpened rock

Just then, however, when their feet
Were a l m o s t willing to go forth
A nightgowned shape across the street
Issued a thunderous, rolling oath

“Pipe down, ye bleedin’ oafs! Go home!”
An elder couple on a balc’ney.
The shout did chill them to the bone
And forced they were to soon agree

“Apologies! My dear good sir!”
“She started it! We meant no harm!”
“You must forgive us, all’s a blur…
We’re rather drunk, you see, so… errr….”

“Tis not our business, I suppose”
Decreed the hatted second man
“Although the shriek *was* quite a noise
We should go on… as we began…”

And so the three illustrious chaps
Forwent to save a murdered soul
And rightly so! To them three claps.
For, t’s’not their business to patrol…

The streets and seek to stifle crime
Such parts are best by others served
And anyway, ‘bout half the time
Is murder probably deserved!

And don’t you know it, though they spent
Some time upon that awful route
Straight’way to the soiree they went
And had an anecdote to boot!

So on this tumultuous old earth
No virtue can I e’er decree
More noble, gentle, and of worth
Than simple punctuality!

Type: art.poetry.original
Produced by: Jan Osten
Notes: none.