Good and Evil

...a tribute to 'Mr Pye,' a novel by Mervyn Peake ******** Balding and sprightly, he's filled with bold dreams to make us all happy and free. He selects as his target a small Channel Island, a representative sampling of people just like you and me. All he wants is that folks get along without all those disputes and fights. He tries to bring peace to this sheltered enclave, just by doing good deeds he can sleep nights. He practises witchcraft to bring them together, 'if it works...' are his words for the day. A sense of humour is paramount these days to keep all those evil-believers at bay. In the midst of these noble endeavours he feels discomfort that turns out to be wings that are sprouting quite clearly, a cause for concern there's no doubt. It seems that his kindness has made him an angel, the more he does good deeds the bigger they grow till they're actually poking right out of his shirt, my goodness, they're starting to show! So he counters with bad deeds in hopes that they'll shrink, indiscretions and plain bald-faced lies. Sure enough they diminish, in fact they're all gone, he need not don a disguise. But this scheme that he's started gets odder, there's a growth on his temples, two horns; he's been so busy negating the good that he's done he's turned Devil, good heavens! he's torn between Good and Evil, just what should he do? He's conflicted like never before. He sits down to ponder which way he should turn, till it's clear, sitting right at his door. On the horns of a moral dilemma he simply gives in to pure Good. He embraces his folk, he just loves them to death, till his wings are full-sprouted; he could take to the air and keep flying just as far as infinity goes, so he bids his people a tearful farewell, next stop Uranus, who knows?