In the Deep
Of a Pond
There lived a spark-el-ling Koi;
His scales a sheen of amber and his fins bright straw-ber-ry
His lovely coat of shingles rip-pling peace-ful-ly
A glowing crimson shadow – beneath waves – swimming free
The fish of dreams –
The dream of fish –
His song the waters sing:
Fiddle-dee diddle-dum lie
Kiddle-lie didd-lae diddl-a-dle
Shiddle tiddle jiddle foe-fie
Riddle-do diddle-dee giddle-mo rumpum.
Now this Koi,
‘Twas a king,
Re-vered by his fishy fellows;
They wor-shipped bubbles blown blithely be-twixt his gills
Every cur-rent passing, they relished with their chills
His wake flocked with spec-tat-ors traveling through the rills
Devoted subjects –
Subjective devotion –
His song the fishies sing:
Riddle-do diddle-dee giddle-mo rumpum
Shiddle tiddle jiddle foe-fie
Kiddle-lie didd-lae diddl-a-dle
Fiddle-dee diddle-dum lie.
King Koi
Was so kind,
His heart as bright as his scales;
He’d tell his brothers stories on life’s puz-zl-ing ties
On face and space and birds and words and land and sea and sky
On how to love eachother wi-thout wanting reason why
The truth of life –
The living truth –
His song the Eagles sing:
Shiddle tiddle jiddle foe-fie
Riddle-do diddle-dee giddle-mo rumpum
Fiddle-dee diddle-dum lie
Kiddle-lie didd-lae diddl-a-dle.
One morn’,
Unawares,
King Koi va-nished without a trace;
His subjects most infur-i-a-ted by the sudden hasty leave
All that he had learned them fa-ded way with fright-ful ease
Except for wiser few who believed not what they please –
Not Laws of Life –
But Life of Laws –
His song their hearts do sing:
Kiddle-lie didd-lae diddl-a-dle
Fiddle-dee diddle-dum lie
Riddle-do diddle-dee giddle-mo rumpum
Shiddle tiddle jiddle foe-fie.