A Moral Victory

A steam calliope appeared beside
The courthouse yesterday, a sign
With one word, “wonder,” on its keys,
And that is what we did. The little
Children laughed and ran to touch
The scroll work on its sides, their
Baffled parents murmuring. An old
Man no one seemed to know sat
Down and played the pearled keys,
And, to its loud and loopy music,
Sullen spirits changed their tunes.
It was a most delightful day, until,
From somewhere in the crowd,
Somebody shouted, “Satan's come
To snare us with this foul machine!”
The parents called their children
To them. Soon, a preacher, dressed
In black, stepped forward, holy book
In hand, and summoned zealots
Bearing torches to the steam calliope,
And it, and wonder, burned to ash,
As did our lovely day.



Poetry by Lawrence Beck The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 20 times
Written on 2013-10-18 at 19:54

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