2019.02.27.
The Master
Passer-bys tip their hatsas he walks by.
Dogs lick his hands,
he is the reassuring type.
See how this child bawls
as he comes to the rescue.
See how he helps the blind
crossing the street.
In his peaceful garden
he tends to roses.
The master becomes a murderer
when he feels gloomy.
He goes strangling fellow men
in the Meudon wood
when he feels disconsolate
or simply blue.
The neighbours find him likeable,
yet right under their noses
the master is a murderer
and I am his butler.
And I file my case
under a dog rose bush.
I dabble in gardening
and can cook as well.
He goes strangling fellow men
when he feels blue.
Off you go! Into the pond
under the water lilies.
Then I tidy up a bit
the crime scene
where he never returns,
not even for show.
Inconspicuously,
in the early hours
we drive back home.
I am his driver.
Though he looks harmless,
the master is a lunatic.
The master is a murderer,
it's a chronic affliction.
He goes strangling fellow men
when midnight chimes,
while I push the dolly1
in the Boulogne woods.
Our customer will end up
in a trunk, hat included
and take a train to Venice
for a well-deserved rest.
He goes strangling fellow men
in the Meudon wood
when he feels disconsolate
or simply blue.
The neighbours find him likeable,
yet right under their noses
the master is a murderer
and I am his butler.
You're about to hang the master,
I'm about to lose my job.
You're about to hang the master,
Alas! How very unfortunate!
This was only to be expected,
and I beseech Your Honour
to consider my application
as a butler.
I would file this case
under a dog rose bush.
I dabble in gardening
and can cook as well.
- 1. lit. 'the devil'. That's a common name for a dolly, but it sounds rather funny here