THE BALLAD OF THE NAUGHTY GLOW WORM

There lived a little glow worm

whose his tail shone oh-so bright,

you could often see him dancing

on a warm summer night.

But when it was time for bed

or he needed a little rest,

he'd turn off his bright tail light

with a switch, beneath his vest.

Gordon wasn’t a good boy,

he was, in fact, quite bad,

he'd sneak around, sniggering

and making everyone mad.

Stealing things and hiding them

and drinking all the juice,

until the people cried at once,

“There’s a burglar on the loose!”

So then he'd run away and hide

atop the nearest tree,

he’d turn off his bright tail-light

so nobody could see.

But one day, naughty Gordon,

had quite a nasty fright,

for no matter what he did

he just couldn't turn off his light.

The switch was clearly broken

and though he tried and tried,

with such a clear bright tail

there was nowhere he could hide.

The village policeman chased him,

he was tired of his mischief,

he followed Gordon’s shining light

and caught the little thief.

He removed his switch and set him free,

so Gordon was always bright,

he couldn't sneak about and hide

for his tail was always in sight.

*

Written by Darren Scanlon, 4th January 2014.

Revised 10th July 2016

Artwork by Angie Caira.

© 2016 Darren Scanlon. All rights reserved.