[i]The Giggling Loon[/i]

A gig'ling loon,
A gibbous moon,
And on the wind a crying croon—

A dogged tramp,
A dreary lamp,
And cemetery freshly damp—

A prying bar,
A spent cigar,
And twitching paws as black as tar—


A blackened spade,
A sound betrayed,
As loosened earth met shovel's blade—

A scratchy word,
A name unheard,
As she below was disinterred—

A coffin lid,
Aside it slid,
As eager paws sought what it hid—


A precious stone,
A panther prone,
And then the gale began to groan—

Amid the crypt,
A tramp was tripped,
And then by claws was firmly gripped—

A loon insane,
A robber's bane,
And then came down the heavy rain—


A sudden flood,
A slide of mud,
And drowning cry that curdled blood—

A loon in flight,
A lack of fright,
As he knew well his moonlit rite—

A gig'ling loon,
A gibbous moon,
And then a tramp to shepherd soon.