i'd wandered lonely by the stream
a stream that passed me by
lived my life as in a dream
while others climbed on high

i'd tried to tread my own path
but soon got led astray
by the whisper, by the laugh,
by the waggish wit at play

now that stream's become a trickle
now it mocks with evil glee
as it bends into a sickle
as it glints and winks at me.