As hidebound as a leather chair-
As thoughtless as a broom;
He is more stuck than is despair
Which hovers round his room
Hurt by bullies in his school.
He made protective rules.
Never go out with a girl
Never aid a fool.
Never vote in case you err
Never wear red socks.
Be angry that life’s so unfair
Live inside a box.
Always say your prayers at night#
Never read in bed
And never ever think about
What you might do instead.
His menu was so regular,
From change he gained no pleasure
He cut his meat up with an axe
To make it hard to measure.
He counted every step he took
And every time he wheezed.
He wrote it in his diary
And this act made him sneeze.
He was allergic to the air;
Allergic to the sun;
At least the tickle in his throat,
Made him laugh in fun.
He had a job with a big bank
He always wore a suit
Till one day his colleague said
That only plants had roots.
The implication seemed to be
He was in stasis glued.
He always wore the same old clothes
And ate the same old food.
Could he help himself and how?
Could he be softer skinned?
He dreamed he climbed up a great cliff
Despite the gale and wind.
And so he left the bank and moved
To work in a coal mine.
He crawled along the tunnels black
And measured them with twine
.
