“the baron’s declaration“
The celebrated Munchhausen
announced to the town council
that he had recently returned
from a perilous expedition
across the vast expanse
between the windowsill
and the fruit bowl.
He described the journey
as “gruelling,”
citing unpredictable terrain
(a crumpled napkin),
hostile wildlife
(a mildly curious sparrow),
and the treacherous crossing
of the Great Ceramic Plateau
(a strewn dinner plate).
He concluded his report
by presenting a souvenir:
a raisin he claimed
to have wrestled
into submission.
The council recorded his statement
with the same patience
they reserve for all his dispatches
—a patience born not of belief,
but of the quiet understanding
that some citizens
require a larger stage
than their stature permits.
.
