Pie’s shoes had holes,

     his toes stuck through,

     this ragamuffin man

     holding his musical pipe -

     tra la la la!

Garments were multi colored -

     he whirled his arms

     and boasted of charms

    and promised the mayor

    to get rid of the rats -

    rat-a-tat-tat

    and that was that.

Bubonic plague

     from diseased rodents

    festered and spored,

    was greatly abhorred.

Pie didn’t say much

     as he led all the rats

     out of town to the river

     where they splashed

     and drowned.

No one felt bad,

     no one was sad,

     in fact, they were glad

     but miserly mayor

     had not a prayer

     as he refused to pay

     the pied piper.

The piper got even

     as he led all the kids

     out of town

     never, ever

     to be seen again.

But rumor had it,

     he sold them

    to slavery,

    or led them all

    to drown in the river –

    save me, save me!

Or maybe, worst of all

     he was a pedophile

     with treacherous guile

     who kept the kids

     for his own use.

     But there’s no excuse

     for not paying this man

Imagine if you can

    that this is a true story -

     just look skyward at

     stained glass window -

     memorial to children

     while their spirits

     flow lofty and high

and Pie lives on.

The road disappears into the forest,

branches meeting overhead to form

a tunnel. The birds are quiet, 

the scurrying animals are resting

and still. The air does not move

in the trees, nor down the narrow

lane. It is silent but for the gurgle

of the far-off river. But there are certain

sounds that the adult ear cannot hear,

that are beyond the capabilities of our

intricate structures to observe, 

or perhaps the guttural profanities

of life and labor wear away our ability

to hear such sweet and innocent music.

The sound of laughing is, after all,

a melody of church bells in comparison

to the hawking spittle of the burgermeister,

the mercantile prattle of the seller,

the honeyed slather of lovers.

He laughs, another chokes.

Leathern boots tread soft on grass,

kick up the little dust that can be

ignored as rilling wind. 

A thin pipe could well be a bantam, 

could be a sparrow, whose fall, 

it is said, does not go unnoticed.

The road disappears, yes, and all 

upon it. The forest swallows it up, 

like a tongue retracted, like a

thread wound up, like something

lured and lost. 

fancy rats that follow

under the spell that is his song

he shall be back for them

when the children are long gone

through the woods he's coming

under the hex that is his song

he will never stop until

the children are long gone

look, look, a bridge is there

under the curse that is his song

laughing, smiling, gentle faces

while the children go long gone

jump, jump, if you dare

under the lie that is his song

rock impaled flesh, but that's not bad

because the children are long gone

Play, sing a tune

O, come on everyone

You'll soon-all swoon.

Listen to me hum

A lovely song to you

That you'll ne'er forget.

Darum-tio-floom

Send all to doom

Or maybe not.

I've changed my ways

As long as all goes well

Listen to what I say.

I want to be a cook

Come dine with me

Bring a friend or two.

Promise not to hatch

Any evil plot

For sure.

Trust me

I'll even play

A happy tune.

Playing my fife

This is the life

No more strife.

The children follow like sheep.

Their faithful trust is easy to win;

the ageless monster can’t help but grin.

To lure them to him without even a fight,

an ice-cream truck covered in images bright!

A promise of tasty treats dispels their fright;

his magic works before he’s even in sight.

When sweet music, he plays from within,

(no longer pan-pipes, as in Hamlin)

the children follow like sheep.

(c) 2017 - dustygrein

** Note.: The symmetrelle is a neoclassic form that can be somewhat vexing to write. Syllabic as opposed to metered, it uses just three rhymes, a (7,9,9,11,11,11,11,9,9,7) syllable-count pattern, and the first line is refrained as the last one. This makes it difficult to find the rhythm for - just the kind of challenge I like to give myself. This was a lot of fun.

Once upon a time there was a musical man;

He played a magical flute that was cursed.

One day he was deceived by the mayor,

In a small town called Hamelin.

"For getting rid of the rats,

You shall be rewarded handsomely,"

Was the mayor's exact words,

But they only laughed at the musical man.

Mr. Piper, why is your heart filled with so much rage?

"Because humans always break their promises."

This cunning man will not be stopped,

For he takes his promises seriously.

One night he heard an enchanting melody

Coming from the mayor's house,

So he hides in the bushes and finds a silhouette

On the top lit window, who sings her lonely song.

Mr. Piper calls out, "Pretty lady, pretty lady,

Why do you sing with such lament?"

The silhouette figure opens her window,

And catching the piper off guard,

Her innocent face makes his heart flutter.

Her long caramel hair, soft as silk, with no tangles;

Her green glittering orbs of light

Stare right back at the piper's eyes.

She replies, "Music is my only friend, so I sing

To comfort myself. Who are you?"

Mr. Piper falls on to his knees and held out his hand.

"The Pied Piper, who shall play you music,

So you won't be so lonely every night."

With that said Mr. Piper plays his flute,

And weaves beautiful music

Fit for a beautiful princess.

Night after night, Mr. Piper comes

And plays soothing music

For the lonely canary princess

Who sings her heart out

While tears fall from her eyes.

He keeps his sacred promise to this songstress.

Mr. Piper, why is your heart filled with so much warmth?

"Because I have fallen for this singing beauty."

This sweet gentleman wants to free this lass

From her cage set in poor Hamelin.

With a hopeful heart he finds the girl's father,

Who was the mayor of Hamelin.

Mr. Piper was a better man, so he asks

For his daughter's hand in marriage

Instead of gold for his pay.

But the mayor only laughs and shuns him away.

The Piper asks again, but again the mayor laughs.

"You will never have my daughter, so take your

rat-enchanting pipe, and get out of my sight!"

The mayor continues laugh while the piper

Frowns scornfully and plans for his next performance.

Mr. Piper, why is your heart filled with so much fury?

"Because humans are nothing but greedy fools."

This cunning man will not be stopped, so he

Plans his vengeance on the children of Hamelin.

So with his pipe near his lips

Mr. Piper plays his haunting tune.

"Children, follow me, I shall take you

To a world of candy and toys."

All the children in the town follow Mr. Piper

To a place with rushing waters.

Trapped in a trance, the children

Laugh and sing as they follow that alluring music.

One by one the children jumped off a cliff,

Thinking it was a portal to that fun dream world,

But in reality it was a swirling whirl pool

That took them to their everlasting deaths.

Among them were crippled triplets with caramel hair.

One could not see, one could not hear,

And guiding them was the true cripple,

Who can barely walk and has no voice.

Mr. Piper offers his hand to them, but then

A familiar voice echoes the nightly air.

Running desperately was the songstress

As she protects her dear little siblings with dreams.

She cries, "How could you do this to us?!

How could you do this to me?!"

"A promise is a promise," answered Mr. Piper.

"I'm saving these children and

Putting them out of their misery!"

The songstress falls on to her knees,

Embraced her siblings close to her heart,

And then sings one final time.

Mr. Piper suddenly froze.

"You shall live a thousand years,

In a body of stone, as cold as your heart,

And watch humanity's greed."

That was the songstress's curse

As she sings with tears in her eyes.

Mr. Piper, you're now nothing more

Then a shell of your former self

As you watch the songstress fall to her death

In a whirl pool of your mistakes.

Her siblings shout, you shout,

But the canary princess smiles before she dies.

Mr. Piper swears, "Curse you, songstress!

I'll find you again in another life!"

Promised the piper while stone shuts him up.

He keeps his cursed promise to this songstress.

So the piper watches over the town of Hamelin

Slowly changing yet never changing

While the three siblings tell his story.

A legend you once were, a legend you will stay.

. . . . .

A thousand years pass and now Mr. Piper is free.

Nobody in town recognize him, and he wanted to die,

But then he met a young man with caramel hair

And glittering green orbs of light.

He smiles innocently, reminding Mr. Piper,

Of the songstress and her beauty.

He still loved his songstress, but hated her cruelty.

"Will you play for me?" asked the young man.

Mr. Piper knew this was another cruel twist of fate,

But regardless of what form she takes,

Mr. Piper knew this was his songstress reborn.

So he plays his magical flute one more time . . .

His pipe breaks and so does his mind.