He rubbed his
Round stomach
And he made
Us smile,
And he used to say,
"Boys, after school
Will you stay a while?
I've something to show you
That you ought to know,
Something that helped
The world to grow,
Something that I picked
Up yesterday,
And it's in the press
To be out of the way".
And we'd look at the press,
Of which he kept the key
That once in a while
He'd entrust to me.
Behind the locked doors
I could see the things
That carried the mysteries
Of world-growing things,
Big conch shells from
Seas I would one day see
If all my dreams
Would come to be;
A bag-pipes, and I
sugar-watered the bag
To keep the leather soft
And never let it go dry;
A key that could tap out
Telegraphic Morse code,
And a jar with a stopper
Holding a toad;
A big jews harp
That he used to play,
If he'd a chance
He'd play it all day;
A galvanometer thing
That gave you a shock,
And a piece of
Volcanic pumice rock.
Brother Athanasius,
Thanks, from all of us.