Subterfoojum

     Charles Dodgson famously claims to have thought 

of the line "...for the Snark was a Boojum, you see..." 

well before composing the scores of remaining lines 

to his alter ego Lewis Carroll's Nonsense classic "The 

Hunting of the Snark."

"...For the Snark was a Boojum..." he said.

(It was Dodgson who did so, I've read.)

I'd assumed that the crew,

in the end, muddl'd through,

while the Baker was lost, presumed dead.

So: "...the Snark was a Boojum..." Aw-w-w-right...

but 'twere never that grisly a sight,
for 'twas noted by none
(well, perhaps just the one),
so caus'd hardly so widespread a fright.

Sure, the Snark was a Boojum, albeit
just the Baker proved able to see it.
Thus I put it to you
that the rest of the crew
remain'd fully proficient to flee it.

Would "...the Snark was..." -- translated in France --

read "...le Grogner c'était..." by some chance...?

Would "...a Boojum..." not change,

but stay "...Boojum..."...? How strange!

What a totally weird circumstance! 

Yes, the Snark was a Boojum, okay!

Still, I wholly maintain to this day:

Had the Baker stay'd back

with the rest of his claque,

he'd have never just "faded away."

Though the Snark was a Boojum, the verse

makes no mention at all of a curse.

Was it very bad karma --

some tear in the dharma...?

Let's face it: things could have been worse.

Why the Snark was a Boojum's unknown.

Could it be that the Snark was a clone

of the vile Jubjub bird...?

Or is such too absurd...?

(Why won't sceptics just throw me a bone!)

Would "...the Snark was a Boojum..." be true

if the Rev'rend Charles Dodgson but knew

about helium-3 or the cirio tree*...?

If he had, would he've holler'd, "We're through!"...?

     * Boojum, a phenomenon in physics associated with 

 superfluid helium-3, is also a tree native to Baja, California. 

 In a far distant galaxy, we 

 would shed fewer tears, show much more glee. 

 There the Baker fades not, 

 as the final line's wrought: 

 "...For the Snark weren't a Boojum, you see."