'Twas in London town (as I recall).
I was just a boy so small.
An egg sat smugly on a wall,
by the name of Mr. Dumpty.
Perhaps, it was Spring or early Fall,
that he held me in his thrall,
the gentleman, I soon would call
(fondly), my friend, Humpty.
Oh, how we would pontificate,
those arms would wildly gesticulate
Perhaps, I could anticipate,
he would be kaput.
But my oval friend with roundish butt,
my warning, he would then rebut,
saying, "fiddle dee dee and tut, tut, tut".
Trouble was afoot.
Perhaps, as he swayed in the breeze,
with spindly legs and knobby knees,
if he'd have listened to my pleas,
I'd have a different story.
Can one depend upon a horse,
with feet, but with no hands, of course,
to mend the consequence of force,
unquestionably gory?
It was so many years ago,
years of counseling, I'd undergo -
perhaps, I threw just a little low
to my friend Humpty.
'Twas in London town (as I recall).
I was just a boy so small.
when I tossed him that ball,
saying "Catch it, Mr. Dumpty"
In the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty
Who or What he is is still a mystery.
Some think he may in fact be an egg
though the rhyme hints at no such knowledge.
And yet he’s always depicted as one
and always with legs, whereas eggs have none?
And how did he get to be on a wall
from which eventually he has a great fall?
And who are all the king’s horses and men
unable to piece him back together again?
A task that would have proved impossible
given his fall’s impact on so fragile a shell.
Hens quite naturally find all such speculation
futile fodder for brainy egghead cogitation.
What all hens know and vouch is that no eggs
have ever walked out of their rears on legs.
If ever you see Humpty Dumpty
Tell him that you can put
Your life together after a fall
The storm can never last forever
When it rains
The pain can transform your actions!
Putting your life together
Might take some time!
The time for action is now
Because your life must bring out the real you!
If ever you see Humpty Dumpty
Tell him or anyone else that
You can put your life back together
You are stronger than the storm
Mark Frank
Copyright 2024
Long years ago, you heard I fell,
just tumbled from a wall and—SPLAT!
I’d not be whole again, all said.
I’m here to follow up on that.
The King’s men scraped my pieces up.
It seemed they’d better things to do
than put me back together right.
I think they used Gorilla Glue.*
Now here I am, a messed-up sight,
a monster much like Frankenstein.
My body parts are all askew.
Not even my eyeballs align.
I'm feared, avoided, ridiculed.
I've no place in society.
Made a pariah by my looks,
though not in prison, I'm not free.
I hoped corrective surgeries
would fix me; so I filed a claim.
It was denied. It seems that for
my brokenness, I was to blame.
Here's what the agent said. I quote:
"Foolhardy eggs that perch on walls
should know that someday they'll get hurt.
They've asked for whatever befalls."
*popular product advertised as “the
toughest adhesive on the planet”
Humpy dumpty, knowing that you
Were an egg, why would you sit
On a wall and are you that clumsy
To fall off without anyone pushing you
You knew that if you fell
They couldn’t put you back together
Again, wish I could have helped you
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall...
Or did he? It's really hard to tell,
Though he was fractured all to hell.
Indeed, his personality was split.
He had less sense than an oven mitt.
When he went to London to see the queen,
I thought it best to intervene.
I summoned the king's men and horses -
Had any taken psychology courses?
"We don't know how to read and write, and
The king says we shan't be enlightened."
So, I took things into my own hands -
Said, "you're Jack Horner, understand?"
Leaving the corner with some dame Jill,
He broke his crown, again, on the hill.
I said, "man, you are accident prone"
He asked, "Mother Hubbard, where's my bone?"
Screaming, I ran as fast as I can,
"This place is nuts. I'm the gingerbread man."
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses and all the King’s men,
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
The Queen’s seamstresses they tried to sew,
The footman with glue he had a go,
Even the gardener tried, with horse poo!
The wizard attempted, with something taboo.
In the end, it was over; the Priest had to pray
And Henri the chef made them all a soufflé!
HUMPTY DUMPTY
Just close to main gate in front of entry,
where standing the tall eucalyptus tree,
sat on the wall fatty Humpty Dumpty
in egg-shaped uniform : The king’s sentry.
All the king’s men under Humpty Dumpty
served him seventeen cups of hot green tea.
He asked for food and snacks from king’s pantry.
Prompt came chocolates, cake, cookies, pastry.
Next he ordered seven eggs from poultry.
Taking food he memorised poetry.
By look he may be funny, yet pretty.
He is intelligent, smart and witty.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
He sits there all day long scaring
The little boys who slip and fall
Like a grown-up boy and daring
One day he fell from the same wall
While making fun of his old friends
None helped him and none gave a call
Learning a lesson, made amends
Not to bother or hurt others
In their bad time or when they're down
Be good and not ruffle feathers
To help and never be a clown
Republican head
Democrat heart
Mired in conflict
Forever apart
Symbiotic division
Zero Sum in intent
Mutual destruction
—broken not bent
(Dreamsleep: October, 2023)
Cinderella said Humpty Dumpty is smoking hot.
Alice couldn’t believe it; she thought he was not.
She went to the wall to take another peek at him.
In no way did she think he was dapper or trim.
Humpty Dumpty is my king! Sleeping Beauty said.
Alice wondered if Beauty’s eyes might be dead.
She stared at Humpty, wondering what she was missing.
He is so handsome! Snow White said, and so good at kissing!
humpty dumpty has a book that does not go away
We tried to peek, but he was not ready to play.
He told us to leave, for he was on deck a ship
Battling a storm, the cutter was ready to flip!
Call me captain, old Humpty said.
His cheeks were pink, his nose was red.
Or walk the plank he added in a weird way.
We tiptoed past him on this reading Tuesday.
I was sitting on the wall
And I suffered a great fall
Stupid horses came around
Couldn’t see me on the ground
Then of course, Kings men attend
None of them knew how to mend
They kicked off my pieces, scattered
Left me lying ruined, shattered
Then Mad Hatter picked my bits
Took me home in paper sheets
Glued me thoroughly, with care
And his company, March Hare
Treated me with jasmine tea
Which the Dormouse brewed for me
Sitting in a comfy bowl
I won’t try another fall
I’m recovered from that stroke
But those Kings men, what a joke
I was lucky to get Hatter
With the mind that’s over matter
Now I’m living like a king
Chapped, but still a precious thing.
Humpty Dumpty
All the Kings men were out at the Ball
When rumours say Humpty had taken a fall
But he's still in one piece and without any pain
In fact, he's on holiday, on the south coast of Spain
So salty and tasty to boot
back in the old days we didn't have loot
they came in a drum full of crunch
so crispy and light you just had to munch
humpty dumpty never sat down
he always smiled and never wore a frown
he was a good egg, oh so tall
but I heard one day he had a big fall
and all the Kings horses and men,
couldn't put Dumpty together again.
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