In a time long ago

And a land far away

There was a man

With many followers.

One of these was an Egyptian

,who, after some testing, disappointed

the man of power.

There was magic in the land

In those days,

(as there is now, but now it lies in wait)

and both the man of power and his followers

needed it like a drunk needed wine.

Oh, they were so foolish

And so the magic used them like a fire uses wood.

They loved and they hated,

And like all men, died.

The magic took the cobwebs of their lives

And , over ages,

Wove it into cloth of the finest silk

That was worn by a hundred generations.

Men and women

Of an enlightened but changing present

Wore it without a thought of that of which it was made.

One day a foolish person

Looked closely

And saw they were made of cobwebs,

And with that knowledge,

The magic left

And they were naked.