the fugitive rock-tied puppet boy appears
donkey tail and donkey ears
dragging his sorry wooden ass across the sands
forty fathoms down from pleasure island

faaaaathheeeeeer
deeper, further

because even though he lost his strings
Gepetto’s still there in everything

he remembers lampy
going cold donkey
in the pool room
kicking out the mirror
the braying shiver
of his shadow
against the wall
the nightmare before the fall
workshop to island, cliff to sea
the last wooden leg of his journey

faaaaathheeeeeer
deeper, further

and the spatted, furious cricket struggles
to keep his hat in all the bubbles
why he’s there he couldn’t say
except the fairy said he’d get a badge some day

faaaaathheeeeeer
deeper, further

but the scandalised fish only snap their jaws
and catastrophizing crabs all clack their claws
as the snooty, flutey clams withdraw
because despite all the innocent cartoon snores

they know
how these things go

they know
monstro