BEASTLY TALES

THE MAGICIAN

The Great Gumpo was a tricky one, no doubt,
From a Top Hat he’d pull out rabbits, then shout.
Yes, for years his audiences he’d enthral,
With his magician’s act and curtain call.
His repertoire was varied and wide,
With incendiary explosions and smoke on the side.
The audience would gasp and loudly declare,
“We most definitely saw a magic carpet there!”

The Great Gumpo was a conjurer fine.
One act made it look like he drank turpentine.
Then he’d light the stuff that he’d spit out
You should have heard the audience shout!
One night in a vaudeville theatre,
He saw a lady and went to meet her.
She turned around for a quick look,
And thought he looked like a spook.
She gasped, “What a shock you did give me,”
“I nearly brought up my tea!”
“If you must creep so about,”
“I’ll have to declare you a lunatic lout!”
“Firstly, take off that silly black cape,”
“Nothing else, could make you look more like an ape!”
“That Top Hat is decidedly creepy,”
“And your quite boring act makes me so sleepy.”
“On your sour breath, do I smell wine?”
“Or is that disgusting aroma turpentine?”

For the Great Gumpo this was a shock,
He’d been entertaining this day around the clock.
And so personal hygiene he’d neglected,
Even though his stage routine was so perfected.
He thought that this lady had treated him queer,
And so, in a flash of smoke, he did disappear!