A SHORT MOTHER GOOSE

Humpty Dumpy; had a fall,
And so did Jill and Jack,
Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep,
But they were coming back.

George Porgy kissed the girls,
Jack Horner ate the pie,
The Little Kittens lost their mittens,
And they began to cry.

The Mother in the crowded shoe,
Just held her head in pain,
While the old man went to bed and snored,
And didn't hear the rain.

Simple Simon had no cash,
But he went to the fair,
Mother Hubbard had no food,
For she found her cupboard bare.

Jack and his wife ate all their lunch,
They didn't leave a bite,
Wee Willie Winkie checked the town,
To see that all was right.

Higgly Piggly laid an egg,
And the cow jumped over the moon,
And the ten o'clock scholar was always late,
Cause now he came at noon.

Little Boy Blue was fast asleep,
And so was my son John,
But Polly liked a cup of tea,
So she put the kettle on.

Tom sang for supper,
The King for blackbird pie,
Miss Muffet tried to eat her lunch,
But a spider sat close by.

There was a girl; that had a curl,
And sometimes she was bad,
But Ba Ba Black Sheep was so good,
She gave all the fleece she had.

Jack was quick as he could be,
Mary was contrary,
Peter kept his wife at home,
While Old King Cole was merry.

Mother Goose was quite a gal,
Her verses; sometimes true,
I hope she doesn't mind too much,
That I've changed a line or two.

Margaret Shankland 1992