Harmless Ben Poem by Francis Duggan

Ben suffers from delusion he thinks he is Genghis Khan
And that he is known around the World a very famous man
He has a mental illness and his symptons he reveal
And his characters though imaginary to him are very real.

There is nothing violent in Ben he is as harmless as can be
A gentle giant of solid build and standing six foot three
And 'tis just as well he's gentle for he has the strength of two
And an angry man as strong as he some harm well might do.

Sometimes he thinks he is Jesse Owens racing to Olympic Gold
And the story of his rise to fame by sporting scribes re-told
The fans are cheering loudly in the stadium at Berlin
As he does his lap of honour in his greatest ever win.

And sometimes he thinks he's Pele displaying his football skill
A hero to the masses and the darling of Brazil
And sometimes he's Don Bradman and he belts the cricket ball
For a big six against England on his greatest day of all.

He is Genghis Khan the warrior and Pele the legend of football
And the cricketer Don Bradman and his great days he recall
And Jesse Owens the sprinter in the stadium at Berlin
And what to others seems imagination is all so real to Ben.