The Gingerbread Man

Fresh from the oven, all spiced and warm,
A Gingerbread Man with a plucky charm.
Candy buttons and icing trim,
Eyes wide open, a mischievous grin.

“Catch me if you can!” he cried,
As he dashed through the door, with a skip and a slide.
Across the fields and over the hills,
Through the woods and past the mills.

A cow and a pig, then a horse gave chase,
All left behind in his frenzied race.
“Run, run, as fast as you can!
You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

With every bound, he grew more bold,
Escaping the clutches of young and old.
But near the river, a fox lay in wait,
With a sly little grin, his gaze on fate.

“Oh, little friend, I’ll help you across,”
Said the fox, with a voice both smooth and soft.
And up he hopped, onto the sly one’s back,
Not knowing yet of the cunning attack.

Halfway over, the fox did say,
“Climb up higher, don’t slip away.”
But just as the shore was coming near,
Snap went the jaws—the end was clear.

A tale of speed, of pride, and thrill,
But even the swift must sometimes still.
So beware, little sweets, as fast as you can,
The world’s got its eye on the Gingerbread Man!