‘Tis the season for
rhapsody October 13th, 2007
Luke the Duke
By Ernestine Cobern Beyer
Luke was a ghost who had been a grand duke
In satin knee-britches and powdered peruke.
Now a ghost, as you know, is supposed to be scary,
But Luke was a phantom both timid and wary.
In fact, he knew well he was woefully wanting;
He hadn’t the ghost of a talent for haunting.
Sighing, he thought: “I’m a shame and disgrace
To every respectable ghost in the place!”
So to boost his morale, he began then and there,
To hunt for some promising mortal to scare.
Well, floating along in his usual way,
Whom should he meet but young Donald O’Shay?
Luke studied the lad and decided that Don
Was an excellent prospect for practicing on.
By all ghostly rules, as he certainly knew,
He should mutter at once a lugubrious “Boo-oo!”
But would you believe it, before he could do it,
A funny thing happened—-young Don beat him to it!
“Boo, you old ghost!” shouted Donny O’Shay.
“You don’t scare me a bit. Now get out of my way!”
Recoiling from Donald in terror complete,
Nervous old Luke nearly leapt from his sheet.
Instead of depriving his victim of breath,
And properly scaring him nearly to death,
The lad turned the tables (some feat to contrive!)
And frightened the timorous phantom alive!
Home hurried Donald—-a hero, gadzook,
While dressed in knee-britches and powdered peruke,
Went lively old Luke, once again a grand duke.
Thank you again to
Barbara Beyer Malley.
*K*
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