A

A Pocket full of Posies

Humpty Dumpty is falling as is London Bridge
and of course both Jack and Jill
as well as all those poor babies tumbling from broken boughs
is the emperor wearing only Jockey underpants
what about all the tail-less mice and
gruesome spiders perched next to tuffets
not so fast you say
the spider climbs the spout
the wheels on the bus go round
Jack gets the magic beans
and I say ding dong
we are all scrambling out of the frying pan
where dozens of eggs were broken
to make incredible inedible omelets
flames are shooting from the stove
and the last straws are blazing
can you hear the fat lady sing
ashes in the derry-o
we all fall down
can you see Jack Horner cowering in the corner
as Little Bo Peep lowers the curtain
adios ta ta toodle-loo
the audience shuffles home, hoping
burnt straw can be spun into gold


Image by Dany Jack Mercier

Claire Scott

Claire Scott is an award-winning poet who has received multiple Pushcart Prize nominations. Her work has appeared in the Atlanta Review, Bellevue Literary Review, New Ohio Review and Healing Muse among others. Claire is the author of Waiting to be Called and Until I Couldn’t. She is the co-author of Unfolding in Light: A Sisters’ Journey in Photography and Poetry.