The Poetic Fable of the Wise Old Man

A wise old man puffs his Rum-Pipe as dusk falls

Listening to the forests strange and eerie calls

Telling travelling strangers as they pass his way

Of the terrible dangers of the forest day

And how to avoid the Grumble Spit and other beasts

Which turn passing strangers into delicious feasts?

But first they must slip a shiny coin into his hand

Or they will never survive their passage across the land

And as the wise old man puffs his Rum-Pipe as dusk falls

Listening to the forests strange and eerie calls

He tells the travellers of the man eating Spiky Rat

And the Willowy Fire Beast and the Poisonous Gnat.  

There are of course some who say the old man is quite mad

But the travelling strangers are always glad

When they pass through the forest safe and sound

As they travel far across unfamiliar ground

And at the end of the day

When the wise old man finally shuts his door

Many shiny coins into his piggy bank he does pour

Because he is far from being mad

you see

He is a wise and rather wealth old man