"A Vent Horror"

By Bob Wayne Ousley

What a horror it 'twould be,

That is, if this happened to you or me;

With dummy in hand, you're on a small stage,

You're getting so couped you feel like you're caged.

The dummy's eyes stick; then the break of a string,

Not only that, but you forget your routine.

The drinking bit fails; the dummy's head falls off,

You start getting sick and begin to cough.

The crowd's in an uproar, throwing many a thing,

... And then you wake up and 'twas just a bad dream!

From The Oracle, No. 6, 1960