A Man Named Pie
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.