Long ago and far away,
When this still was a holiday
(Before the autocrat declared
It ended, and nobody dared
To ask why we'd no longer fete
Minorities on any date),
A rowdy crew put on a show
For people who were in the know.
They danced and sang salacious tunes
Of lusty maids and harvest moons,
And we all laughed and loudly cheered,
But then one year, they disappeared.
The autocrat had frowned upon
Their antics. Quickly, they were gone.
We grieved, but held our rage in check,
As speaking out could risk one's neck.
In time, no mirth was on display.
It vanished, like that holiday.
With nothing left, our kids can't know
Of far away and long ago.