Writing in 2025: A sequel to Humpty Dumpty

-
It's been quite awhile since I've posted any writing, on this blog or otherwise. One of my resolutions for 2025, however, is to make more time for writing, especially (though not exclusively) writing about and for children. 

I decided to put that resolution into action today based on just a random fleeting thought I had at breakfast: "If all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again, who could?" 

I always thought the nursery rhyme was rather depressing (quite possibly because it was about a war cannon and not an anthropomorphic egg), and, especially since my toddler absolutely adores a stuffy of Humpty Dumpty that he got at Fairytale Town, I thought the egg deserved a better ending for himself. So, here's my silly, fantasy sequel poem to the beloved nursery rhyme: 

Humpty's Quest
by L.N. Sherman (Jan. 2025)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Humpty Dumpty went on a quest
To find one who could fix him best. 
He traveled far to the ruins of Kell,
Seeking the witch who could heal his shell. 

He found the witch amongst the flowers,
Crafting her healing potions for hours.
She’d whisper her spells with a gentle grace,
Making flowers bloom in every place.

She saw our Humpty, broken and cracked,
And to heal him, she made a pact– 
Or, one might call it, a powerful oath
To the Spirits of Nature and spring growth.

A potion here, some magic there,
Healing his cracks with gentle care,
Soon our Humpty Dumpty was fully healed,
His shell as whole and smooth as a shield. 

Humpty Dumpty now stood reborn.
Humpty Dumpty had a new form.
He was as thankful as thankful could be
And sang his thanks to the sky and the sea. 

Humpty Dumpty made his return
And he told all ‘bout his good turn:
How grateful he was for healing powers.
Let us give three cheers for the witch of flowers! 

       Image created using Bing Image Generator, 2025


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting an "A" in baby class

-
Image
This past week, I belatedly watched the Hulu teen comedy Crush (2022). At the start of the movie, the protagonist Paige first develops a crush on her classmate A.J. when they pair up together for the "egg baby" project.  Watching this scene, I was immediately filled with nostalgia; I remember doing a similar project in fifth grade... though for the life of me I cannot remember if I had a partner or not. I do remember dutifully keeping my 'parenting' journal, which strangely feels like it parallels my modern (real) motherhood habit of tracking my baby's needs and habits in a brightly-colored app.  It was in high school, though, that the big "parenting preparation project" occurred. Rather than eggs or a bag of flour, in my high-school we simulated parenting through what I call the dreaded 'Robo-Baby.' 
Read more

'The Little Mermaid' and pregnancy allegory

-
Image
In celebration of Valentine's Day this year, my husband and I decided to watch a movie that had nothing at all to do with pregnancy: the 1984 romantic comedy Splash . Well, I should say that I decided. He merely told me that he'd never seen the movie, and I delightedly declared that we therefore needed to watch it immediately. But it really does have nothing to do with pregnancy... at least I thought it didn't when I suggested it.  As I watched this retelling of The Little Mermaid , however, I couldn't help but think that the story and all of its similar iterations actually could be viewed rather easily through the lens of a pregnancy metaphor.    Art credit : Karamfila,  @karamfila.s on Instagram
Read more

Freedom, men in pregnancy movies, and Momlife_comics

-
Image
The internet loves a good dogpile. Social media moves swiftly and furiously when a new "main character" has been announced, and it's crazy how a nearly anonymous someone becomes a talking point around the world. With all the posting about Ana Mardoll today or whoever is the new hot topic by the time this posts, it may be hard to remember that just days ago that target was... Momlife_comics.  Momlife_comics is an Instagram comic that became the target of rage, amusement, and mockery for about a day on Twitter. I honestly don't know how the recent attention started, and I've decided for the sake of my sanity not to find out (researching Twitter accounts seemed like a rather depressing idea of how to spend my time). I do know, though, that the reach of the attention was vast; my husband and I have shockingly different Twitter algorithms and follow very different people, but when I started talking to him about Twitter dogpiles and an online comic, he immediately said...
Read more