Jack and the Beanstalk revisited

lillian

Jack Spriggins,
I’m here to settle up.
I took yer cow some days past,
gave you beans to plant in exchange.
You said it’d be a good swap fer me
since I had young’uns to feed.

Well sir, the cow, she turned up dry
and the missus is still howlin’.
Neighbors down the road apiece
talkin’ about an oversized grave.
You buried a giant back here?
Shoveled it deep and high as can be.

I reckon this here’s the hill I’m lookin’ at,
and I can see, it’s paved with gold.
Best make good yer swap, Mr. Spriggins,
and share the wealth you got.
Else I predict yer goose is cooked
and you’ll take a fall from way up there.

And that new wife of yours named Jill?
I reckon she’ll come tumblin’ after.
I learned a long time ago,
stolen goods are not the way
to livin’ happily ever after.

magic_beans

Originally written for NaPoWriMo’s day 21 prompt: a poem in the voice of a “lesser” character within a fairy tale. Rewritten for dVerse Open Link Night, where Victoria is tending bar. dVerse is a virtual pub for poets. Stop by to exchange ideas, post and read wonderful poetry!

EXPLANATION OF POEM: Jack and the Beanstalk is a famous English fairy tale originally written in 1734 as The Story of Jack Spriggins and the Enchanted Bean. Plot: Jack’s cow goes dry. On the way to sell her at market, he meets an old man who trades Jack some “magic beans” for his cow. Jack climbs the resultant beanstalk, finds a castle, a giant, a goose that lays golden eggs and a magic harp. He steals the wealth, is chased by the giant, axes the beanstalk and the giant falls dead to the earth. Jack and his mother live happily ever after.
There is also a reference here to the traditional 18th century English nursery rhyme:
Jack and Jill went up the hill
to fetch a pail of water.
Jack fell down and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after.

56 thoughts on “Jack and the Beanstalk revisited”

    • lillian April 22, 2016 / 6:20 am

      Always nice to see you over my morning cup! 🙂 My pen has taken me in a lighthearted way the last few days. Must be the effects of spring! 🙂

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      • Misky April 22, 2016 / 6:25 am

        Then a very happy spring to you, Lillian.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. rivrvlogr April 22, 2016 / 9:39 am

    Very witty, and with a lesson on the source, as well. Nicely done.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 22, 2016 / 11:49 am

      Thanks! Had fun looking this up, learning the history, and then writing too! 🙂 Glad you liked it!

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  5. Waltermarks April 22, 2016 / 11:26 am

    That’s an innovative response to Jack’s beanstalk. You have woven Jack and Jill into it as well! That is slick!

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    • lillian April 23, 2016 / 3:58 pm

      Happy you liked it! I actually had fun talking with my grandkids about Jack Spriggins and then reading them this poem 🙂 I really enjoyed the prompt.

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  7. Björn Rudberg (brudberg) April 28, 2016 / 3:59 am

    Oh I love the voice of the person getting a cow for a bean and want to extort some more wealth from Jack… I guess today it would be called “selling protection”….

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:42 am

      Thanks, Bjorn. I really had fun with this one and thought I’d share on OLN. I remember both the fairytales of Jack and the Beanstalk and Jack and Jill from when I was very young — and also read them to my children. 🙂

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  8. Victoria C. Slotto April 28, 2016 / 3:06 pm

    I am SO glad you shared this with us. Such a fun and clever read. You wove in the stories of my childhood so well.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:42 pm

      Always fun to do something on the light side. Glad you enjoyed! Just got home — shall get over to the bar in a few moments! 🙂

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  9. Sanaa Rizvi April 28, 2016 / 3:07 pm

    Oh I love this revisit into the folklore 😀
    Beautifully penned (as always)

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

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    Reply
  10. kanzensakura April 28, 2016 / 3:07 pm

    This is such fun. I often wonder if when the giant crashed as the stalk collapsed, if anyone else was taken with it. Ol’ Jack better beware – lawsuits may be in the making!

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:45 pm

      You know, when I was doing the research for this poem I started thinking about this tale — and Jack really does live “happily ever after,” after killing a person (granted, a giant), and stealing as well! But then I guess there are some pretty violent childrens’ tales out there — “…she cut of their heads with a carving knife…three bline mice!” Glad you enjoyed.

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  11. Linda Kruschke April 28, 2016 / 3:29 pm

    This is wonderful! I always thought that the man with the beans didn’t believe they were magic and was trying to trick Jack, so that last stanza fits perfectly in my memory of the old tale.

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  12. mishunderstood April 28, 2016 / 3:35 pm

    So much fun, Lillian. I loved the dialect and couldn’t help reading it aloud (only to laugh at myself) Bravo!

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:47 pm

      Fun to put on another’s voice……kind of like dress-up! So glad you enjoyed — and glad you read it aloud too. I read it aloud to my grandkids and they were giggling. 🙂

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:47 pm

      Fun is good 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.

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  15. Bodhirose April 28, 2016 / 4:36 pm

    I grew up reading every fairy tale I could get my hands on and I always loved “Jack and the Beanstalk.” I love your rewrite of it, Lillian, lots of fun!

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 4:48 pm

      ummmm I think they’re called “fractured fairy tales” sometimes? I did have fun with it so am very glad you enjoyed. 🙂

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      • Bodhirose April 29, 2016 / 2:58 pm

        I didn’t know that they were called “fractured fairy tales”…now I do, thanks, Lillian. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:15 am

      Kind of a cross between a fairy tale and a fable 🙂 So glad you liked it Viv.

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      Reply
  17. whimsygizmo April 28, 2016 / 5:13 pm

    I absolutely love the voice you’ve taken in this! LOVES me some fractured fairy tales!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:15 am

      Fun to play dress-up with a dialect! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.

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    • lillian April 28, 2016 / 6:10 pm

      Thank you! Glad you enjoyed. Smiles are good! 🙂

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  19. Mary April 28, 2016 / 6:25 pm

    Ha ha! Loved this original take on “Jack.” It has long been time for a rewrite to this old tale.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:17 am

      So nice to see you this morning, Mary — sipping my coffee from a new Chemex glass pot today. I must say, the aroma is divine – which I never really got from my old electric pot! 🙂 Morning elixir.
      Shall get to reading posts in a bit — busy day yesterday.

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  20. lynn__ April 28, 2016 / 10:21 pm

    Clever perspective on the old fairytale/nursery rhyme…I enjoyed this humorous monologue!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:18 am

      Always good to add a little humor to our life! 🙂 so nice to see you this morning over my morning cup of coffee 🙂

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  21. thistle wrists April 28, 2016 / 11:16 pm

    Totally adorable.

    “Best make good yer swap, Mr. Spriggins,
    and share the wealth you got.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:18 am

      Smiling I am to see your response this morning 🙂 Thank you!

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  22. Magaly Guerrero April 29, 2016 / 7:22 am

    Someone needed to have a good sit down with Jack. Seriously, that youth just went around wrecking things and taking the rest. I’m glad someone is speaking up.

    LOVE this! ♥

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    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 8:19 am

      Sooo glad you enjoyed. Love your reply here! 🙂

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  23. Bekkie April 29, 2016 / 12:51 pm

    Lillian this was delicious! Perfect form too, you took that story and brought it into this century.

    Liked by 1 person

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  25. Patti April 29, 2016 / 4:33 pm

    I love this. Clever of you to choose a nursery rhyme!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • lillian April 29, 2016 / 4:36 pm

      Glad you enjoyed, Patti. Nice to see you here this afternoon! Hope you’re having a sunny day.

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  26. mtw April 30, 2016 / 5:54 am

    ha! i love how you intertwined both jack and the beanstalk and jack and jill. i’ve always had trouble maintaining a poem’s suspension of disbelief when writing poetry that isn’t particularly serious, but you do it so well! i’m quite impressed.

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    • lillian April 30, 2016 / 9:48 am

      I love to go to the fun side — sometimes I look at something I’ve just written that is very “dark” and wonder, where did that come from? This is more in keeping with who I think I am 🙂 If you look at my About, you’ll see what I mean. I think there’s a very early poem on the site called Pollyanna which is a self-portrait poem 🙂 Maybe under the Humor category at the top? Thanks for your words here and very glad you enjoyed. Always good to put a smile of folks’ faces to start their day! 🙂

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      • mtw April 30, 2016 / 9:22 pm

        i read both your about and pollyanna and i must say – that’s such an admirable attitude to choose to have. thank you for sharing your work; it’s such a delight to read.

        Liked by 1 person

      • lillian April 30, 2016 / 10:06 pm

        Glad you enjoyed. Thankful for every day.

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