The Legend of Vegetable Medley, Verses I-VIII

[With Editor's Notes]

In Columbia doth our tale begin
Of men and maids and tomes galore
Of scrolls and texts and words of yore
Writ down to tame the beast within

Among the throng, 5 knaves came forth
Each different, from lands afar
To seek the coif and gain the bar
And prove, with skill, their noble worth

These men soon formed, as if by fate
A council to ensure that they
Would prosper both at work and play
And perils, would negotiate

Eag'rest of these, young RCA
With energy that knew no bound
In argument he could so hound
A friend or foe and win the day

The Orb, all cool and staid above
Down in his cave would fume and chill
And to his tasks his flaccid will
He liciously applied with love

Vain Vindaloo, with pride would strut
A gait with not a modest step
His confidence he surely kept
Despite jokes for which he, the butt

CBK, an awkward lad
Dared try to fit on ample back
A silly, small, but heavy sack
Containing ev'ry book he had

A hero must each story have
And this one does not deviate
With ignorance his only hate
Rode Vegetable Medley, suffering's salve*
*[Ed. note: Scholars have offered no acceptable explanation for the drastic departure from the meter in this line.]