Day 338: Mud!

Mud!
by
Matt Zurbo

 

Everyone in dull, yet big, Greytown
shuffled rather than romped.
Bored, frustrated, obedient,
they worked and never stopped.

Carlo F Colosimo,
was similar to that,
even though, inside,
he hummed
Zoop, doop, dee-doop, dee-dat…!

Then, he stopped dead,
in his small boy tracks.
There was a puddle of goo,
brown, smelly and flat.

“Mud…?” Carlo said, cautiously,
gently
tipping his toe in.
He didn’t want to cause trouble,
or any such silly thing.

Yet, “Mud?” he pondered again,
this time a little louder,
as he sunk to his knees,
and began to flounder.

“Hmm…” Carlo contemplated,
this ooze was rather fun!
“In for a penny,” he decided,
and,
look out,
the fun had begun!
(Kid diving into Mud, splashing it everywhere, while people watch.)

“You shouldn’t do that…!”
some old crows crawed.
But a mud pie to the eye
soon had them both floored.
(Two old ladies, looking like crows, copping mud to the face.)

“Hey, what’s going on?”
said the big policeman, Blue.
“Getting all muddy might,
cause trouble for you!”

“Yes, you’re right,” Carlo conceded,
then threw a mud pie at his hat!
“Oh, it’s like that, is it!?”
big Blue laughed,
throwing a bigger pie back.

One of their missiles missed,
landing on young Bobby Livid,
who, in turn, just laughed,
slopped, schlopped and slithered!

Slip, slup, slush, glink!
(Everybody mud fighting!) 

Oh, no, next came a band!
One-by-one, new recruits.
Members of Carlo’s muddy clan,
blowing gunk, muddying suits.

Giggling, dancing, prancing,
glorious in their fall!
Covered in mud, they gave in,
by giving up,
and had themselves a ball!

Soon a circus came by,
oh, what brilliant luck!
The strongwoman, elephants, ducks,
wading through the muck!

“That’s enough of such nonsense!”
town councillors soon insisted,
as clowns and the old crows,
slung mud at all who resisted!

Carlo arranged high diving,
right there in the muddy street.
Points were scored,
the councillor hoard,
…were splattered head to feet!
(Everybody covered in mud, lining up to climb the elephant’s back and leap into the mud.)

“Stop, Stop, stop!”
bellowed the Mayor,
in his mighty Mayoral voice!

Everybody paused…

then Carlo called;
“Let’s all make him moist!’
(Mayor, nose in air, clean, standing on a soap box, surrounded by muddy crew, who have all stopped to listen.)

They chased the Mayor around town,
determined,
laughing,
leaving muddy trails!
Good, silly times,
spreading without fail.
(Chasing fleeing mayor with mud-balls, getting others muddy as they go.) 

Mud, mud, mud!
Splat!
Gah! Gloop!
Oh, oh man, oh girl, what fun!
MUD! Look OUT!
Mud on everyone!

Octopuses slinging,
boats caught in the mess,
a slew of long distance swimmers,
bogged down like the rest!
(Carlo still chasing the mayor. Octopus slinging mud, circus people, the lot, bystanders getting muddy, joining in. Everybody covered in mud, except the mayor.) 

Soon the whole place was muddy,
a gooey stink filled the air.
But, best of all,
slip, slosh, glunk!
Nobody really cared!
(Everybody mud fighting, laughing, having a ball.)

The crowd let out a sigh,
“Carlo, you’ve saved the day!”

“We stink…”

“We pong…”

“We look a mess…”

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY!
(Crowd pushing Carlo up onto soapbox to make speech.) 

“In mud you’ll find cavemen
and women,” Carlo cried.
“Gorillas, dragons – imagination,
things needed, by the human tide!”

“Imagine if medieval knights,
fought with this gunky goo!
They would have had a ball!
And been less violent, too!”

“Nonsense!” the Mayor raged,
as the fire department came,
to hose down everyone,
and re-set his dull way.

But they slipped and slid,
just as the mayor hit his peek.
Mud and water turning to slosh,
that tumbled him…
off his feet!
(Mayor falling in, as more people join in the mud fight. Double page spread of garbos, wrestlers, hairdressers, everybody slinging mud, having fun. Carlo watching with big smile.) 

“That was fun…” sighed Carlo,
as people went their own way.
“I’ll be in trouble now,
but, worth it?”

“Oh, you bet! What a day!”

 

The End.