The man with the astrolabe told me
That Roger was coming to sing
And Gwynneth would dance like an angel
And all the nine tailors would ring

He said the queen valued my message
And was graciously pleased to observe
That I combined a quite fitting description
With felicitous subject and verb

And the dolphins were swimming in brandy
And the tigers were roaring in tune
And the elephant's progress was stately
As he left not a mark on the dune

The woman with forty-three children
Was feeding them porridge and tea
She said that she'd give them some shortbread
If only they'd share it with me

The sun was unceasingly scorching
The snow was all melted away
The ants were ferocious and biting
While the mantis was waiting to pray

My mother said I was a darling
My father said I was a fool
My teacher just shook his head sadly
And drew a straight line with his rule

I haunted my books for an answer
I sought out the words of the wise
But they whirled on the page like a dervish
Obscuring the truth from my eyes

I walked to the top of a mountain
The man with the astrolabe grinned
The clouds scooted on the horizon
Gone with the breath of the wind