There's commotion up the sunlit road
That winds its way to town.
I see them coming closer —
A mob is marching down!
They've muskets, arrows, bows,
With axes, knives in hand.
The town-guards lead ahead.
The sides and back are mann'd.
I stop my chore and rush inside,
Tell Father on the double!
He saunters out the front,
Awaits the coming trouble.
At last, he asks: "What means this?
You wish to trespass land?
My residence, my rule! —
The Lawyer understands."
The folk, renew'd with cunning strength,
Answer with a bite:
"That's simply not the case,
For now we have the right.
The Mayor, Judge and Pastor
Have let us come this way
And, with their triple blessings,
Your fam'ly has no say.
Triplicity of Pardons
Is what it's truly call'd
And if you've any doubt,
The Lawyer knows it all.
"Our bullets and our arrows
Have salamandra spit
To vanquish that Disgrace —
The Chemist thought of it.
We'll grind her evil eggs,
The symbol of our sins,
Then scatter all the dust in
The Swirl of Quarter Winds.
It's time we slay the Creature,
Eradicate her plague!
Let order be restor'd
And Health return today!"
A chilling screech above
Pierces through the skies.
The Phoenix reddens with disdain —
Revenge epitomis'd.
On wings outstretch'd, She rises.
With burning train unfurl'd,
She's ready to unleash Her fury
On the witless world.
With mighty flaps and gusts,
She blows apart Her nest,
So sticks and strands and shards
Come raining in a wreck.
But what about the eggs?
No shells have hit the floor.
And then it dawns on us —
There were never eggs at all!
YOU ARE READING
The Phoenix on the Roof
Poetry"Still the phoenix sits upon / The world in fearsome form, / With a crown upon her head / And the beauty of a storm." Newfound World, c. 1699: A phoenix nests on the roof of a house in a small colonial town, sending ripples throughout the community...
