[Part I — A Very Pleasant Morning] We left the house at half past nine The hedges smelled of rain, Mrs. Bell was sweeping leaves, The porter waved his cane. Gerald wore his Sunday coat, Mabel brought the tea, Arthur said, “The road bends left,” And everyone agreed. The church bell rang at ten to ten, A blackbird crossed the lane, Everything was where it ought to be— Until Gerald moved the sign. [Bridge] Only six or seven feet. A perfectly sensible distance. The sign said LEFT. The road went right. So naturally— We followed the sign. [Part II — Somewhere After Somewhere] We passed a house with thirteen doors And windows painted green. A gentleman was selling clocks That all read seventeen. The postman sailed across a field Inside a paper boat. A lady asked us where we’d been. We said, “We rather hoped you’d know.” The road grew narrow, then grew wide, Then climbed into a tree. Arthur said, “According to the rules, This shouldn’t trouble me.” Nobody could have known. Nobody could have guessed. The moon came out at half past noon And buttoned up its vest. We met the mayor upside down. He shook us by the shoe. “Are we still heading west?” asked Mabel. “West of what?” he said. [Bridge] The sign had grown enormously. Or perhaps we had become very small. Gerald said there was no cause for alarm. And somewhere in the distance, the sea began to ring. [Part III — A Perfectly Reasonable Disaster] It was a perfectly reasonable disaster, Every little piece made sense. The river climbed the chimney And the garden cleared the fence. The houses floated upside down, The stars came out in rows, And everyone kept nodding As if everyone supposed— This was a perfectly reasonable disaster, Nothing stranger than before. There were fishes in the treetops, There were keyholes without doors. The king arrived by bicycle. The clouds began to sing. Gerald tipped his hat and said, “Well, that explains everything.” No villain in the tower. No dragon in the rain. Just one small sign moved sideways And the world forgot its name. Every choice was sensible. Every choice sincere. Funny how a reasonable road Can leave you nowhere near. Then morning came. The hedges smelled of rain. Mrs. Bell was sweeping leaves. The porter waved his cane. And Gerald found the signpost Standing quietly by the lane. He looked at us. We looked at him. He turned it round again. [Pause] “Better.”
