rimbaud, part 1

throw the jaguar a nickel and the clown a dime and ride on the river of endless time the mayor is lying face down in the slime so now you can never atone for your crime the statues are shattered and the safe is unlocked it's midnight forever on the cuckoo clock so its out the window and down to the dock to the twisted tree beside the humpbacked rock "mama - mama roo - are you there?" "don't come closer,boy - beware." "beauregard's treasure = i've come for my share." "the moon isn't green - so you haven't a prayer." "i've had enough of your magical words all your talk of green moons, red frogs and white birds the night is alive, or haven't you heard the dogs are howling to cut me to sherds i gambled for beauregard's money and won i need it now because i'm on the run i must get to natchez before the rising sun because my tribulations have only begun "boy - if you must be such a fool as forget what you learned in michael's school and the message you read in jezebel's jewel and break both angels and demons rule then never awake from your madman's dream when nothing will ever be what it seem but that pitiful rays of hope may gleam i leave you this token of magic esteem" raindrops riffle on a snakeskin drum and a thousand toads take up the hum the eyes glaze over and the hands grow numb a white light shines on the swirling scum and the light contains an old felt hat the crown is shapeless and the brim is flat gray as the fur of a mangy cat surely you are not afraid of that? with a trembling hand on a fluttering wrist the hat fits as tight as a demon's fist zombie eyes glitter and serpents twist the sorceress gone with a final hiss say goodbye now to mama roo in amber bubbles in a mist of blue her curses were empty but her lies became true now there's nobody left but the dogs and you the slime so dismal and the sir so foul the demon in his armor and the monk in his cowl the fish-dog-witch and the goddess-owl are all set trembling by the terrible howl there is only road - through the thick of the bog though you can not be hidden by the thickest fog in the tallest tree or the hollowest log no time to be lost because here is the dog with hide black as nothingness, eyes white as time red claws rake the dirt at the edge of the slime the sheriff smiles gently at his terrible whine though the dog speak in tongues, he won't answer in rhyme