Pumpkin Wife
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater
Had a wife and couldn’t keep her
Put her in a pumpkin shell
And there he kept her very well
You may think it isn’t very nice
Living in a pumpkin shell
But once you shellac the inside,
Getting rid of the basic sliminess,
It isn’t that bad
The walls are wholly carvable
I’ve made all sorts of brackets
and shelves and windows
It’s a sweet little home now
Quite cozy in fact
The thick rind keeps out the cold
Yet is quite cool on the hottest days
Some balk at the idea that I am a prisoner here
Not true!
I can come and go as I please
It just pleases me to stay,
now that we have a comfortable home
You should’ve seen the potato we were living in before!
Peter, Peter, poem eater,
Had a wife, but wouldn’t cheat her.
Bought her a condo in a peach–
It’s small, but that’s what you get at the beach!
Can’t wait to see your work in a book someday, Donna!
Love your poem, too! An thanks for the encouragement. I am not published yet, but I have started trying.
This is a fun twist on the nursery rhyme, and would go very well in a collection of four or five poems, but may not be your number 2. It would give some variety to the anthology….
You are right. I decided not to use this one. But this prompt was right in my wheelhouse. I’ve written takes on Red Riding Hood, Shoemaker and the Elves, Wizard of Oz characters, among others. It is a hard style of poem to sell, because they aren’t really for children, more of an adult take on the stories. Publishers think they are too juvenile, and they are too advanced for kids. What to do?