if the jaguar drinks enough lemonade
he will tell you a riddle
he will ask you how many times
you’ve crossed a bridge with a troll
underneath, he will ask
if you have ever plucked a pussywillow
and he will tell you that those
are his grandchildren’s tails
and he wants them back
if the jaguar drinks enough gin
he will smile wide and mistake you for meat
he will exaggerate his fangs and his
fancy for you, but he’s secretly
a vegetarian so the last page
of this nursery rhyme will say
hickory dickory dock
since when do jaguars talk?
My smile – almost as big as the jaguar’s now.
Bravo, who can’t but love a bit of nonsense 🙂
I love the tension in this poem. The imagination, the creative sense of fairy tales and so much wonder wrapped in truth, and the need for the reader to smile at the end. Well done!
playful and fun with a hint of mystery – how perfect.
I like the repetition and set up of the 1st line in each stanza expecting it’s gonna be very different if lemonade or gin and then you delight me with the surprise ending!
I love this poem!! It’s so playful and beautiful, thank you for sharing this.