A Hat that Lets the Rain in
The king awoke one morning
And he couldn’t find his crown,
So he rang out for his footman
To bring forth his ermine gown,
Then ordered for the palace
To be hunted upside down –
And if it were still missing,
To send men upon the town.
His reason for such urgency
Was really very plain,
That if the king is crownless,
Then he rule goes down the drain –
For if he stands bareheaded
How will peasants know his reign ?
A king without a coronet
Is thoroughly mundane.
Fetch it ! Find it !
Capture it and mind it !
All your heads are bloody shreds
If someone has maligned it !
The soldiers rummaged ev’ry house,
And prodded ev’ry nook.
They barged upon the merchantfolk,
And half their wares they shook
Incase the prize was hid within,
Exposing crown and crook.
And if it weren’t, the goods were wrecked,
So clumsy was their look.
They burst upon the womenfolk
In most ungentle ways –
Their conduct was improper,
And their language coarse of phrase.
They entered ev’ry schoolroom,
Ev’ry salon, mill and maze.
But still it was not gainedfast,
And the town was all ablaze.
Search it ! Seek it !
Plunder it and wreak it !
All your eyes are filling pies
If somebody should sneak it !
The aldermen and dowagers
Were startled and incensed.
These worthies sought an audience,
Their grievances dispensed –
But found the King uncaring
Of the tumult he’d commenced.
They left with bitter passion
For the town to stand against –
“His majesty can issue
Any ruling or decree,
But that is all as naught to us
Who choose to disagree.
It’s time for him to realise
He’s just our employee,
And if we are unsatisfied,
It’s time to set him free.”
Pounce him ! Pry him !
Prison him and try him !
All our souls regain controls
If ev’ryone deny him !
The king awoke one morning
With his royal head uncrowned.
He spent that very evening
In cells of harsh surround.
He never understood it,
How his luck could so confound.
His coronet, in passing,
Was to never be refound.
Rhyming Couplets 