“Pleased to meet you --
Meat to please you,”
So the butcher’s shop displayed.
The well-bred baker bakes his bread.
The hotel maid the bed has made.

I know not how to tie a knot.
I might, though, tell the tale
Of how a hare lost all its hair
And why cats chase their tail.

Oranges I gently peel.
The cook weighs out the flour.
The bells an hourly peal do chime.
The bees seek out a flower.

I’d never steal a piece of steel,
Be led to thieve some lead.
I’d take a break, apply the brake,
Live an honest life instead.

It’s quite a feat to wash one’s feet.
Who knows what’s up one’s nose?
A wounded heel takes long to heal.
He tows whilst on his toes.

The gartered knight rides out at night,
His horse a little hoarse.
His sight is on a distant site;
His course is rather coarse.

I’ll walk along the aisle to shop,
Allowed to read aloud.
As I pass by I’ll choose and buy,
Avoiding all the crowd.


© by Nick Balmforth.
Used with the author’s permission.