Une nuit au bal de la Fleur de Lis
'Twas the night of the gala, the Fleur de Lis Ball
A Catholic tradition since le retour de de Gaulle
But this debutante was across the Biscay
In the Saint-King's city, the western gateway
La Fleur de Lis was no ball ordinary
The rules for admittance would never vary
Only the rich and well-to-do
Could enter the Chase Park vestibule
Apart from the Jewel and the Veiled Prophet
La Fleur de Lis was blessed by the convent
And the abbeys and monasteries adhered to this too
For they received gifts from the Fleur de Lis grooms
Famous men, like Cargill and Drury
Staged famous daughters of grace and purity
For this was the purpose of the Fleur de Lis
'Twas a debutante for all to see
The daughters were heavily primmed and conditioned
For their presentation was an act of submission
To the most holy reverend and to their fathers
Anything else was simply a bother
But on this night there was a beggar
Outside the Chase with no coat or sweater
And it being the month of December
The Saint-King's city gave no pleasant weather
The daughters and fathers paid no heed
To the young beggar's evident need
For money and food; love and provision
The daughters were blind in their submission
Save one daughter; she was a Weber
She could not stand the sight of the beggar
In his destitute state alone in the cold
This Fleur de Lis daughter had a heart of gold
She gave him her frock to fend off the chills
And placed in his hand a bundle of bills
Upon which he thanked her and turned
But Madame Weber would not let him adjourn
"Please, kind sir, I must request
Is there a place where you can rest
Away from the frost-bitten winds of December?
A place to get warm and light a few embers?"
"No," said he, "I have no such place
I am left to wander in disgrace
For there is no place that I can call home
I drift through the city, forever alone"
This gave Miss Weber a spark of inspiration
But this idea could ruin her reputation
She was about to mix the estates
And make the Fleur de Lis grooms irate
"Come," said she, "inside to the ball
You'll be my date, and won't be enthralled
By the treacherous cold that haunts our fair city
The site of your suffering is such a pity"
"No," he said, "it is not my place
To invade an event of such wealth and grace
For I am no more than a poor beggar
Surely I cannot rendezvous with a Weber"
"Nonsense," she spoke, "it is not right
To have nowhere to go on so cold a night
And this will allow all to see
The hypocrisy of the Fleur de Lis"
"How many passed you here upon entrance?
Their ignorance is like a death sentence
For in our submission and vanity
We lost the ball's purpose; charity"
Without room for argumentation
And, to be frank, there was temptation
The beggar and daughter didst proceed
And entered the Chase, awaiting the gleeds
Upon their arrival all eyes were aghast
The beggar was not of the Fleur de Lis caste
"This is not right," didst mutter the grooms
"Is there a beggar in the Chase ballroom?"
Despite these comments of exclusion
There occurred a sort of transfusion
Between the beggar and the wealthy
A dialogue had started, and it was healthy
For the aristocrats had been previously unaware
That the poor in their city needed so much care
Their eyes were opened, listening to the beggar
And all this was due to the love of Miss Weber
Even the archbishop did concede
More could be done to meet the needs
Of the poor in the city, the Western Gateway
He shook the youth's hand, and asked him to stay
Thus the young couple danced through the night
The beggar in his rags, the lady in her white
And all the Fleur de Lis came to believe
What is true is not what we perceive
So to end the tale, I leave thee with this:
Is it not possible to live in bliss?
With lion and lamb, wealthy and poor
Unity and love is what I implore
And for those who search for an idol or star
Miss Weber shows it dost not matter who you are
All are created equal, this we must laud
For there are no classes in the eyes of God
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