[Bluejay]

The Baker started out his day
. He mixed the dough to bake for bread,
. When sudden pain coursed through his head.
He faltered and began to sway,
. . . Then fell directly to the floor.
. . . His breathing stilled; he stirred no more.

When the townsfolk found him gone,
. They called the Doctor and the Priest,
. To save his body, or at least
To help his soul move up and on.
. . . The doctor sighed then shook his head.
. . . "I've checked him out. This man is dead."

The townsfolk mourned their loved friend.
. They held each other to console
. The hole they felt within their soul
Now that his life was at an end.
. . . And to be sure the death would take,
. . . The family chose to have a wake.

They placed him in a box of wood
. Within the church to give him time
. To see if he'd made up his mind
And left the little town for good.
. . . And when the evening turned to night,
. . . They prayerfully went to wait for light.

The following morn, the man awoke,
. And rising up, he looked around.
. His body traumatized, he found
His left side numb, the final stroke.
. . . And, coated well in flour and sweat,
. . . He was the perfect fly magnet.

He stumbled from the vacant church
. And sought at once the path back home
. Preferring bed to lonely tomb.
His bad side causing him to lurch,
. . . Having nearly lost his life,
. . . He dragged himself toward home and wife.

When the townsfolk found him gone,
. They called again the Priest and Doc
. To make sense of this awful shock,
To try to see what had gone wrong.
. . . Declared the Doctor, slightly red,
. . . "I checked him out - the man was dead."

And then a bright one said aloud,
. "Perhaps a roaming evil spirit
. Found his body and, drawing near it,
Stole it from beneath the shroud."
. . . The people looked around in fear
. . . That walking evil walked so near.

They formed a group of fitful men
. (Or at least the ones who seemed most fit)
. And sent them out to hunt for it.
To drive the evil hence again.
. . . And not far from the church bell's ring,
. . . They found the awful, horrid thing.

It staggered with a zombie's gait.
. Drool flowed down a twisted face,
. And flies accompanied its pace.
Demonic babble did it state.
. . . As flies are minions of the Devil,
. . . They were convinced the thing was evil.

They sprinkled it with Holy Wet,
. Spoke words and anointed its head.
. He stumbled on. Aback, they said,
"This is the strongest demon yet!"
. . . And then the simple, fearful men
. . . Rose up and beat him dead again.

They placed him back inside the box.
. And closed the lid to hide the proof
. Of what they had been forced to do,
To save the family undue shock.
. . . And with his casket duly blessed,
. . . They laid him down, at last, to rest.