Hey Diddle Diddle, Like Nero We Fiddle

Hey Diddle Diddle, Like Nero We Fiddle

The dish ran away with the spoon —
They fled Saskatoon
In a hot air balloon —
When the fires engulfed all the prairies
In June.
Traveling south,
By the light of the moon,
They arrived before long in Cancun
Where one day, at  noon, a baboon
With a prune,
Who was sitting outside a saloon,
Invited the two to a party that night
on a tycoon’s pontoon
(The tycoon was off, with his army of goons,
Searching for oil on Mount Cameroon).
But it wasn’t to be opportune;
A hurricane came
And swept them all off,
Leaving them marooned,
The wreckage of the pontoon strewn
On a dune near La Leche Lagoon
Where they lived out their days
You can still hear them play
The spoon and baboon swoon and croon
As the dish plays the contrabassoon

Elliot Sperber is a writer, attorney, and adjunct professor. He lives in New York City and can be reached at elliot.sperber@gmail.com and on twitter @elliot_sperber