The Lord of MisruleA Poem by David Lewis PagetIn
the London of James
So Bodger and Catchpenny, Long Will and Gull, Stood frowning at Patrick Who scratched at his skull, ‘This time of the season They’re playing the fool, So let us join in with The Lord of Misrule!’
They stood up, delighted And mad as a coot, They capered and cantered And Will played the flute, Gull got him a Tabor and Beat it with glee, Destroyed all the silence In disharmony!
While Patrick broke in to An old Players Shoppe, For Motley and nightsticks, A barrel of Hock, Then came out all dressed As the veriest fool, And bowed to us gently, The Lord of Misrule!
We swaggered on down to the Church in the Dell, While Patrick had jangled The hat with its bell, Then led our procession In riot, alas, Right down to the altar In time for High Mass.
The preacher looked grim As he halted his prayer, The whole congregation Sat just as they were, They knew of the Mohocks And not one would rise, At risk of the beating They saw in our eyes.
The church was so ancient, Lay under the Moon, And barely three candles Were lighting the gloom, The tombs of Crusaders Lay hallowed in there, Each corner a knight, And his lady, so fair!
So Patrick went up to The altar, the fool, Said: ‘I am your master, The Lord of Misrule! And you will go down In your penance to me, Or preacher, you’ll hang From the mistletoe tree!’
The preacher, he blustered, The preacher, he fell, The people, they scattered Like hounds before hell, The church was soon empty And grim in the dark, Then Gull became nervous - ‘It’s only a lark!’
The doors slammed behind us The candles went out, The Crusader banners cast Shadows of doubt, And then came a creaking Of time and old sin, And something was moving That shouldn’t have been!
The knights on their headstones Had lurched to their feet, Came lumbering on from Their centuries sleep, With shields at the ready and Swords in the air, They swung at our revels Through Catchpenny’s hair.
I watched as poor Bodger Was cleft at the front, Before his head toppled, Fell into the font, While Will caught a thrust From the next knight behind, That sliced through his ribcage And shattered his spine.
Then Gull I heard scream as I raced for the door, Flew in at the vestry And hid on the floor, The Preacher was nowhere, He’d fled from the scene, The moment the knights had Creaked up from their dream!
When morning broke early I slunk through the dawn, Went back to my lodgings And tried to get warm, For outside the church, on the Cross, like a fool, And hanging in chains was The Lord of Misrule!
David Lewis Paget © 2012 David Lewis PagetFeatured Review
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