A Jar Of Magic

There once was a tyrannous czar
who owned a great magical jar.
A jar jam-packed full of wonders;
of vast star fountains and thunders.
But the great jar would not open.
Though he sweated, strained and groped and
struggled so hard to unscrew it,
he simply could not do it.

Mighty God, herself, had sealed it,
so no wicked man could wield its
truly awesome magic forces.
Not even a million horses
pulling a million ropes and
iron chains could hope to open
that amazing, magical jar,
crammed full of a trillion stars.

Only a rare type of person,
the czars chief wizards were certain,
could unscrew its magical lid.
It’d have to be a kid;
one with a heart most pure and kind.
So that vile czar set out to find
a child he truly felt for sure
possessed a heart most kind and pure.

The Czar wandered throughout his land
with a begging bowl in his hand,
dressed in beggars ragged clothing.
But got nothing except loathing
from all the people that he met.
Not one penny did he get
and no children would come near him,
except to mock him and jeer him.

Until, one day, that wicked czar,
who had wandered widely and far,
arrived at a little village
and, while passing a small cottage,
saw, kneeling down, a peasant lass
playing with marbles made of glass.
The czar begged her, “Spare some pennies?”.
The girl replied, “I have not any”.

All that she owned, that peasant lass
were those small marbles made of glass;
five marbles worth far more than pearls
to that poor, lowly peasant girl.
Yet, she put them in the beggar’s hand
and said to him, “Have these, old man”.
The moment this act had been done,
the czar shouted, “You are the one”.

Then smoke and lightning filled the air
and, alas, the lass disappeared;
transported by an evil spell
to one of the czars prison cells.
“Let me out!”, cried the lass in fear.
“I will my dear. I will my dear.”,
cackled the cruel, ruthless czar,
“When you have opened up my jar”.

“Is that truly all that you ask?”,
laughed the girl, “that’s an easy task”,
and, with a simple, single twist,
unscrewed it and released a mist;
a magic mist of many hues
which grew and grew and turned into
a powerful and giant genie
that, with his might, set the girl free.

Then the genie snatched up the czar
and pulled the czar into the jar,
and quickly the lass screwed the lid on
and said, of the cruel czar, “good riddance!”.
Then god did speak and she did say,
“I’m glad you’ve locked that czar away,
for he was cruel, greedy and mean.
Now you, young lass, may be the queen!”.

“Let me out!”, screamed the czar, in fear.
“I will my dear. I will my dear”,
giggled the girl, so gay and bright,
“But first you must learn wrong from right”.
The new queen’s subjects danced with glee;
set free from the czar’s tyranny
and the girl, who had been so poor,
played marbles on a palace floor.