Ah, Pinocchio!

Ah, Pinocchio--povero burattino°--

Always in a scrape; always in a jam.

The irresponsible, wooden-headed numbskull

Couldn't help but fall for every scam.

A walking, talking stringless marionette,

Pinocchio really would have had it made

In a modest home with Babbo°° Gepetto.

But, instead, the foolish youngster strayed.

Ignoring the advice of the talking cricket,

Pinocchio EVEN smashed it with a hammer.

That right there should have been a reason

To throw the disobedient rascal in the slammer.

The Fox and the Cat had no trouble

Dissuading the puppet from going to school,

Thus involving him in a series of adventures

Which often made him look like a fool.

The Fairy tried to be a good influence,

But Pinocchio's lies caused his nose to grow.

Constantly ignoring responsibilities,

The misguided boy, suffered constant woe.

(Swindled of his money, hanged on a tree,

And saved just in the nick of time

From being eaten, Pinocchio had

Too many adventures to fit into this rhyme.)

Fleeing with his lazy school chum Lucignolo

To the Paese dei balocchi,°°° there Pinocc

Turned into a donkey. Of all his follies,

This one had to be a masterstroke.

Once again a puppet, Pinocchio was swallowed

By a giant Pesce-cane,°°°° and then guess what!

The foolish boy was finally reunited

With Babbo Gepetto in the fish's huge gut.

NOT until Pinocchio thought about others

And proved he was an honest and caring boy

Did his fortune start to change for the better,

And the stringless puppet became the real McCoy.

Does Pinocchio by any chance remind you

Of any politicians out there at all

Who fail to listen to expert advice

And thumb their noses at common protocol?

And speaking of noses, we can also see

Politicians' noses grow as they tell lies.

Lying to themselves and to others as well

And ignoring our best interests and flouting compromise.

Such politicians--unlike Pinocchio--

Have strings to pull when performing for the masses.

The more they avoid solving REAL issues,

The more they end up looking like asses.

They also love--these clever burattini--

To sell a bill of goods and promise many things.

But someone out there--or some corporation--

Is slyly and cleverly pulling their strings.

Do you ever wonder if these same politicians

Ever think about or care how you feel?

Will they eventually--as did Pinocchio--

Prove they have what it takes to be real?

°(burattino/i) - poor little puppet(s)

°°(babbo) - dad(dy)

°°°(Paese dei balocchi) - Playland

°°°°(Pesce-cane) - shark

(12-6-15) By Bob B