The Bone Idol

[First posted in 3 parts. Intended novel: time never allowed] Prologue This, Sir, is the prologue from before our tale begins About the day our father did succumb to mortal sins And left behind a man who would succumb to fame and plonk A man born of no earthly union, let's call him Lee Stonk Twas his second coming, he'd been here once before Found the ladies wilder than when last he trod our shore Coveted the Devil's maiden, seduced him drove him wild His own rules of engagement broken left her with a child Refrain from interference, not how things are done Tamper not with things that should never have begun And yet for one so mighty who dwells beyond the sky Can it be unholy to maintain a watchful eye So make no intervention (yet) to guide his mortal soul In Lee Stonk's future there's no drugs... Just booze and rock and roll The Bone Idol Megastar, rock star rules the music scene Praise for each performance be it raucous or serene Teenage mimics gather wherever he may go And frantic crowds do battle to attend his every show But the gift of popularity may not forever last Though no noose nor prescription pill shall make him of the past For now where hidden hideaway ensures he is not found He near to death from alcohol lies face down on the ground Yet unseen hands that raise him from his now unconscious fate Offer unto him a chance to be forever great What is it you fear, pray tell me, what is it you fear Insecurity, obscurity the fears you hide in beer? I want to never die, to keep my life and limb together I want to keep my voice, my talent and to sing forever I want to be revered eternal fall from favor never So tell me guardian savior... Might you be that clever All these things I offer the phantom vision said But what you ask is what you get so be clear in your head For that you crave is final and shall save you from the hearse But once I grant your wish as said I shall not then reverse Then alcohol oblivion overcomes once more And one moon then another watch him cooling on the floor Till a sun a third time radiates it's living heat Hair of dog shall clear the fog for fans he has to greet And over time with youthful vigour holds his leading place No creaking joint no heart disease restricts his agile grace Years run into decades the man remains the rage No public change in taste as his music fails to age But nought can save his aging skin which fails to stay the pace As ulcerating blisters burst and fester on his face Though light of foot necrotic flesh shall not deny his years When a head banging performance robs him of his ears For withered flesh now putrefying peels and falls away As fans extol this gothic twist to mimic lips gone grey And none shall raise a question as he sheds his hair in clumps Cavorting round the stage while trailing bloody fleshy lumps Decrepit priest so learned to have studied ancient lore Set to serve his purpose enters through a backstage door No place for such abomination in polite society Offers up a cocktail... of the Molotov variety Manic conflagration enrapts bewildered hoards Till flesh denuded charcoaled bones collapse upon the boards Fans bedeviled mount the stage to tear the priest apart Some just stare at what burns last... their star's still beating heart By and by the media mass whence audience guided out Many silent stand and stare while others mill about Then their idol stretchered out, who might do him harm All fall silent as he raises one skeletal arm No medic and no man of science can deny this truth No SFX or trickery shall dare refute the proof As public live performances the like of which unknown See skeletal artiste play his ribcage xylophone Thus this flesh denuded hero sings though without lungs De-sockets both his femurs to set about the drums Other artists fade away he rules astride them all So hark the king of rock and roll, the one eternal.... Bone Idol. Of course tis said that every story must attain an end And so ours might until a show the FBI attend Civic duty lays it's burden on our boney brother Retain your public image but serve us undercover You have no nerve for lethal toxin ever to attack No blood to flow when shot or stabbed in either chest or back And with an empty skull if cracked no brain inside shall splatter And no offence your look alone shall make the felons scatter The point well made aside an error almost shouted loud Tell me how a man of bone shall blend into a crowd But I will do my duty and defend this land for you But I shall do this publicly while stage performing too So megastar turned superhero plays a double role By day he serves up rhythm and by night he saves our soul And halts the rising rate of crime that had of late been tidal So let us praise our ever present heaven sent Bone Idol Epilogue He prowls the night in shadows twixt the bat the rat and cat Keeps his hairless cranium hid beneath his tan rimmed hat And lest he scares the homeless like he's been born out of hell Behind dark shades his vacant sockets hide away as well Whilst for the law abiding he will rock and roll all day But show your criminality he'll lock you all away His clothes all tailor made to fit shed very little doubt On the notion that our hero has no flesh to pad them out Whilst he has no need for food, he hasn't any guts He passes time by nibbling packs of jelly beans or nuts They bounce around his ribcage then they trail along the ground To feed Cedric his rat sidekick who follows him around Desist young man he bellowed, ‘What you’re doing is a crime.’ The hooded villain raised his gun, ‘Ain’t gonna do no time, My gun says I’m the man in charge, you can’t deny the truth.’ In a flash our idol spat... And shot him with a tooth And so he prowls the shadows where no lawful man shall dare Only those of I'll intent shall stand or loiter there But nothing here shall cause him fear nor get under his skin A knife glints in the moonlight and he cannot help... ...but grin