Skeleton Boy - Epilogue

Now Skeleton Boy had returned to the earth,
The place of his creation, life, death and rebirth
He had escaped with the skin of his teeth
From both Heaven above and from Hell down beneath

He could "never return" to the great 666;
He was free to go back to his mischief and tricks.

Our hero returned to where he'd slept so often
His cozy and quaint little fabric-lined coffin

He'd escaped from harm's way by a carpal bone's breadth
And yet he, once more, had to deal with death

Out of the shade stepped a menacing shape
It was a bony adult with a hood and a cape.

He was now face to face with the ghastly Grim Reaper
Who takes souls from their graves and brings them to their keeper
The one with whom all will eventually romp
The specter of death, the tall dark psychopomp.

"You're late," scoffed the boy, "Though I really don't mind.
But what on earth was so distracting that you left me behind?"

Charon opened his jaw, and through teeth that were chipped
There rattled some breath that smelled just like the crypt,

"I'm sorry kid, I didn't mean for the lag
But of course, I ran into an outbreak of plague.
And so if you'll forgive me for being quite late
I'll escort you myself to the big pearly gates"

Skeleton Boy was tickled, he just had to say
That this had been one really interesting day

When he went to saint peter to pay up his dues
The angelic bouncer told him some sad news

"We looked at your past, and it was so full of sin
That there's no way in heaven we'll let you come in!
Really, I'm sorry, I know you're a good kid
But there's no excuse for the things that you did.

One must concede that your soul's none too fresh
Despite not having any sins of the flesh,
Your posthumous deeds have been simply too rotten
To have all your exploits forgiven and forgotten"

Now, his dark chaperone made a rattling gasp
And the small skeleton's hand, the bigger one clasped.
Death put down the scythe with which he'd usually reap,
He sat down on the ground and he started to weep:

"I'm so sorry," said he, "Though you've committed no crime,
you are now doomed to wander on the earth for all time!

I can't help but feel…  If I hadn't been late
You'd might have been saved from this… horrible fate!

Your commitments to heaven and hell have been severed
So now you must roam earth's four corners forever!
Oh, Your tragedy's worse than prince Hamlet or Macbeth!
For You'll never know solace, or the sweet release of death!"

Our boy thought for a moment of being on his own
Of not living in the place that the angels call home
And the prospect of having the freedom to roam
With eternal life, by himself, all alone
…
And he smiled over Death's Apologetic moans,
Shrugged and said,  

"It's fine.  No skin off my bones"

So now he wanders the earth
Filled with laughter and joy
Remaining a crazy, chaotic,
Good Skeleton Boy.