BEASTLY TALES

A RHETORICAL RAMBLE

Lester Sodbottom was not very clever,
Not destined to reach any pinnacle of human endeavour,
Definitely unlikely to set the world on fire,
Or achieve anything close to his heart’s desire.
But what Lester had was a dogged determination,
To make others happy, to spread elation.
How did he achieve this, in a world so dismal and dull?
What motivating factors got into his skull?
Basically, it was his long-held belief,
That others would always come to his relief,
Should he require any assistance in life,
Symbolically with drum, whistle and fife.

Jiggery-Pokery, or underhand dealing,
Never crossed Lester’s mind with any real feeling.
Not one to consider any form of theft or pillage,
He lived quietly in a higgledy-piggledy village,
Stretched along a cliff line in profusion,
Each building a different colour, utter confusion.
Once immersed in that village, excitement bustle.
Even down to con-men, effecting a hustle.
Along narrow streets, he would ramble and bumble,
“No place like home, be it ever so humble!”
Not much excitement or bustle, no razzle-dazzle,
Or being slowly burnt to a frazzle,
Lester thought, “I’m fussy, old-fashioned,”
“Just a fuddy-duddy, but so impassioned,”
“I just want to live my life willy-nilly,”
“And I simply don’t care if I appear silly.”

“I’m not into nonsense, humbug, all that jazz.”
“A simple, plain man am I, no razz-matazz.”
“To a honky-tonk, I may occasionally go,”
“With no contention, I go with the flow.”
“There I do look, and do listen, to a hurdy-gurdy,”
“An old fashioned contraption, but ever so sturdy!”
“So, having listened to my rambling story,”
“I’ll say “adieu”, and everything is hunky-dory!”