The Ballad of Little Boy Blue....

When boys behave as though they know best,
And fuss about on the silliest quests
With the biggest, meanest, the very best
Uncle in town who shouts "Give it a rest!"
You know that duels will be fought, bitter tears
Will be spent upon the dusty moldy tiers
Of the town theater's abandoned seats;
If only they were full, boy, what a treat!
They'd see Uncle Duke take on little boy
Blue with naught more than his bare hands! Yet boy's
Will be boys, and this one had a mean streak
That lasted four years, a month, and a week,
Five days, a quarter of an hour, and!
One minute past the golden flower's stand...

But little boy blue didn't go without
A fight or two with that Grand Uncle Duke!
First he ran and he hid in the dark route
Underneath the stairs, then made up a fluke
From a noisy toy he hid in his place;
That caused Uncle Duke some funny disgrace.
Then he climbed the red crystal chandelier
Of the Seven Seas Theater, quite queer
Was his climb, a bit awkward if you know;
About as slow going as toddlers go.
But waiting at the top, Uncle Dukes shoe,
Which was polished as could be, very true.
Then little boy Blue knew that he was beat,
Yet he could help fighting his defeat...

Uncle Duke said with his deep manly voice,
"Give it up little Boy Blue! It's your choice!
You come quietly or go down swinging,
Yet whatever you decide to do now
Understand that in doing it I'll show
You Indian Red Blood Suckers just  how
Mean I can get, and how big I am! So,
It's you're choice. You've been warned. Will you come down?"
But little Boy Blue had other hopes, dreams
That didn't involve the Sheriffs small crib;
For his prison so resembled a child's
Room that men tried to stay away him
Lest they should end up in that man man's wild
Saloon of kids toys and boy's rummy gin!

So little Boy Blue spit on Uncle Dukes
Fair polished shiny boots with a loogy
The size of old Massachusetts! The cuke
Then drooped like a great old bat, a spooky
Ghost out of some old tale; And then he did
Coast right on down the line all the way to
The flight of stairs that was half way down! Slid
The mile long banister that went around
The theater all the way to the to the ground
Floor. There he looked up and tipped his black hat
To the sheriff, Uncle Duke of Black Cat
Creeks and the like, the name of that fair town,
Then he shouted up, "See ya farmer brown!"
He didn't count on a gun in the back... 

There at the bottom of the theater
Was "Mamma Deputy" with black tazz, her
Devil of the sand dunes that was all blur
Of lightening. Was he a dog? Not sure!
But standing there Mamma darned said to Boy
Blue, "Get your hands up you're going to bed!"
Then little Boy Blue thought his game was up,
But once again he decided to fight
Until he had no choice, was in chains; what
His plan was even he didn't know: tight
Gangsters of three years old never think twice
When it comes to being naughty or nice.
So he looked at Mamma Deputy, right
In the eyes; despite his very small height...

"Mamma Deputy" said little boy blue,
I can't say I wasn't thinking of you
All those four years, that month, and a week, that
I was running around with tongue and cheek.
I can't take it back, and wont now for sure,
I'm the blackest toddler there ever were!
But if you'd give me just one more new start,
I promise you Mamma Deputy! I
Will be the best boy I can be, will die
To make it all up to you, from my heart!
And even then Mamma Deputy said,
How do you manage to get at my head?
She lowered her gun with a smile instead;
But little Boy Blues smile turned to thick dread...

For though he'd dealt with the gun in the front
Another gun dug into his fair rump!
As he yelped in pain, as only a runt
Of a toddler can, he turned his small frump
To see Uncle Duke bearing down on him,
With a twinkle in his eyes; he would win
This fight if it killed him! Then little Boy
Blue went down on his knees, cried to Mamma
Deputy, "Mamma Deputy Please! Roy
Old Bandit had a better trial! Ba
The Laggard even stayed out a while till
He was caught being a dumb toddler pill!
Save me from the Uncle Dukes big bad wrath!
You don't, won't, want to see the aftermath... 

But the spell on Mamma Deputy did
Not have the effect he wanted it to;
He was hoping that he could get some two
Times twenty saves from Mamma's gentle lid.
Yet Mamma Deputy looked to Uncle
Duke and she said "Off to bed silly kid!"
So Uncle Duke grabbed silver manacles
That cuffed right around little Boy Blues numb
Shocked hands! He couldn't even suck his thumb!
Now he resorted to calling Duke dumb
And Mamma Deputy a double bum!
Then led out by Uncle Duke to the sun
He blew out and popped his blue bubble gum
In the face of Mamma Deputy! Dumb...

For Mamma's anger had only just cooled
To the point where she could have only fooled
The stupidest of men and women; those
That cannot even read a book that's writ
With pictures and colors from barmen spit!
Yet Uncle Duke knew, with a chuckle or
Two, that she was about to explode! Bore
A hole in his head, this three year old hide!
That she'd take him down to size, tear his pride!
So she called out to Duke with a whistle,
Then grabbed out of her pack an old thistle
That glowed in the light of the sun, told woes
To the man, or toddler, in his bum side!
Did she take that thistle to his rump wide? 

Just as she begin to swing with a grace
That could only be appreciated
From the farthest bands of black outer space!
Uncle Duke stepped in between Blue's head;
And that's why little Boy Blue is not dead.
Though he did get all afraid of Mamma
Deputy, so that you could hear a faint
Toot: could smell a foul stench that did paint
The farthest islands of the Bahamas
With unpleasant fumes. Toddlers were diapers,
Though gangster toddlers have fancy wipers.
Then Uncle Duke said to Mamma, the fair
Deputy, "Don't give in! He wants you to
Forget yourself, civic duty to tear!...

So Mamma Deputy let Boy Blue go
To the crib of Uncle Duke, where no show
Of good faith could save him from Dukes great big
Wrath: should he act like a stuck up pink pig!
Well she walked away from the scene in time,
Though little Boy Blue continued to whine
All the way down to the Sheriff's old crib!
He began to drool and did need a bib
Before the trip was over; "What a mess
Now to clean up!" Uncle Duke did confess.
But when all was said and done and Boy Blue
Was locked safely away, Uncle Duke sat
Back and kept sad thoughts at bay; though sad truth
Be told they involved Blue father, Mad Hat!...

                                The Ballad of Little Boy Blue, (c) Luke Bennette, April 2012