There’s a crack in my mug
There's a hole in my mouth
There’s a share for the drug
That’s pulling me south

There’s a spot on my side
Below my left arm
There’s a bruise to my pride
That’s causing me harm

There’s a thought in my head
That won’t go away
Before I am dead
I must have my say

When I see in your loving arms
all that’s made with your loving charms
then for to keep from worldly harm
When Winter Comes

In private warmth we lay a while
out of the world came forth your smile
then for to keep across the miles
When Winter Comes

Hark not the clatter of the guns
still now my heart the beating drum
end not their world has just begun
Then Winter Comes

Upon my word
a settled ****
came forth the bile
from mouth absurd

Did make the crush
of this mooly mush
came forth the bile
a gregarious flush

I knew an old stoat to relieve his throat
drank custard from his fungible boot

Be mine dear Prunus, be mine
He sang
Never mind dear Dulcis, never mind

And as he drank and sang, and sang and drank
I began to thank, and thank so hard I nearly sank
too depths so depthed too deep to see
the rolling mood washed over me.

*Let’s link arms dear Prunis
and turn our noble gaze
and together ride the ocean swell
until the end of days

When Mr Manfred shopped for clothes
he always sought the best
long johns for the winter nights
and a stringy summer vest.

His Chevy was his pride and joy
he used it on weekends
and drove it down to Illinois
to hook up some old friends.

To neighbors he was the perfect gent
who never raised a fuss
so happy was this malcontent
he drove the high school bus.

But Manfred had a secret
it kept him so discreet
his captives couldn't run away
because they had no feet.

Moody Manfred kept them hid
force fed them through a straw
he wrote in chalk upon the lid
disappointment number four.

Mr. Crimple shaved his head
brushed his teeth and went to bed
and in the morn upon that pate
another pair of teeth mutate
a second mouth with tongue and lip
all required to smack and sip
the heavy rain now falling down

'I need a hat or else I'll drown,' said Mr. Crimple

Betwixt the shrub and hubabubb
'neath bracken's shadowed scowl
came a Wren pop-hopping when
arrested by a yowl

He spied another grovely bird
chattering with the gloom
realising it had been observed
it screeked with spittled spume

Stay back, stay back
alack, alack
I've nothing left to give
and should you shake the life from me
unhappy you shall live

Like him the grovely had a one leg
and too the veshy eye
and when he flexed his deeker wings
he knew this bird must die.

The unctuous Wren popped back and forth
as did the groveley bird
and there they stood 'twix shrub and earth
exchanging not a word.

Just this once I'll let you go
announced the cautious Wren
he turned his fractious beak to blow
and was never seen again.