I love you, Pinocchio. Pinocchio, be brave.
And at the Fairy's request, Pinocchio, behave.
Cut the raving, cut the romping
Go to school and quit your stomping
Your impetus fast and convictions severe
My little tree boy, you have nothing to fear
Of goodness and kindness, and generous things
Moral cricket in place, may your wooden heart bring
To the world what I begged the wishing star for
My sweet son, not to own but to love and adore.
Where are you Pinocchio, so far away
That you eclipse the skyline, turn nighttime to day
There's an ache in my chest that was left in your wake
And I fear that it's too much for my heart to take
Ran around the whole town, I left no stone unturned
But all leads turned up dry and I sat quite perturbed
Till a slender-eyed fox, Honest John is his name
Whispered of a location where wild boys are tamed
With a gasp and a shudder, I fled the scene
And embarked on a quest to uncover their scheme
But that wicked Stromboli found me out quick
Snooping from top to top, analyzing each trick
From the tumbling girls to the tiger through hoops
Contortionists, monkeys, I scoured the whole troupe
For a clue till that fat man, in stripes and black boots
Chased me here and then there, racking up quite a hoot
From the rows of stiff chairs, lined with town residents
(I hope for that performance they were recompensed)
He chased me until I stood atop a hill
Crying, where is Pinocchio? With no answers still
All of a sudden, I was struck by the sight
Of John's sinister figure escaping by night
Fox ears barely concealed beneath a dark top hat
In my haste I had none but the clothes on my back
That fiend boarded a ship with a crateful of nippers
Unthinking, I jumped a cutter full of kippers
We drifted along, the kippers and I,
The rain pooled in the clouds, then burst from the sky
In the downpour, alas, my old eyes did not see
The waves, then the whale who were coming for me
I love you, Pinocchio. Pinocchio, be brave.
There are times to be good, but sometimes we must stray
From the guidance of God, and his teachings too
For despite the Archbishop’s endeavors, it’s true
That the act of translation does nought to prepare
A Catholic for whale tongue licking at their hair
When they wake from the carnage, like Jonah himself
I just wanted my son, but now I need God’s help
And I wish for a moment to mourn or to say
Pinocchio, I love you. Pinocchio, please stay.
So, when the waves surge, claim your hollow chest
Swarm the cold cavity of my blood and my sweat
Be brave, Pinocchio. Never forget
The small town in Tuscany where I laid your mom to rest
And the tide lapped at our heels in the early Spring
Where the buzzards hum and cicadas sing
Happy hares march and wildflowers bloom
The church, and the stables, my woodwork room
Soon, I’ll be whale food, no time left to show
The future I wanted. You haven’t even seen snow.
I love you, my boy. You’re as real as it gets.
Never needed more. Only you. Only you.