The Farmer In The Dell (The darker side)
Posted: Monday, November 17, 2008
by David Pekrul
The farmer in the dell,
He 'fell' into a well,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
The story's here to tell.
It seems he took a wife,
But then she took his life,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
She killed him with a knife.
The wife had a child,
He grew up very wild,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
His mother never smiled.
Who criticized and cursed,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
It couldn't have been worse.
The nurse had a 'cow',
Because he wouldn't bow,
To all things she said and did,
And things she'd not allow.
He lived like a dog,
Confused and in a fog,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
Caught up inside a cog.
He fought like a cat,
And acted like a rat,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
He turned into a brat.
He thought he was 'big cheese',
And never would say please,
Soon life would strike him down,
And bring him to his knees.
The 'cheese' stands alone,
He's out on his own,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
His heart is hard as stone.
The story has been told,
The way it did unfold,
Hi-ho, the derry-o,
And leaves us feeling cold.
If this article is used in any publication, please send a copy of the publication to David Pekrul at
170 Carr Cres.
Okotoks, AB
T1S 1E3
Canada
E-Mail:dpekrul@gmail.com
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More commentsI like poetry, and don't come across many like yours. Thanks for sharing. I noticed the tag at the end asking people to send you copies if they publish the poem. Do you do that a lot? Do you get many copies of your stuff? texThanks for reading and commenting, Tex.It is so hard to get poetry published, and I'll probably never make a cent off it, but that's OK.So far, I've had some of my christian poetry published in some devotional booklets and a small newspaper in Texas picked up one of my poems for the church section of their newspaper. The more I see my stuff in print, the more I like it; maybe one day a publisher who pays actual dollars will want me, who knows.I have several books published through a Publish On Demand company, and they charge nothing for set up, and all you have to pay are for the copies you want. With a small cost they will add the bar code on the back and get the books listed on online book sellers. It isn't a way to sell your stuff, but it is a great way to see your work in print, and to make copies available to friends and family. Think about it. You can type in my name like this: texx norman, and up will come a novel and a book of poetry I wrote. This site won't let me give you the web address, but if you email me directly I will give you the address for this company.
Absolutely a waste of time this is not an article just a nursery rhyme gone wrong.I write poetry; some to get a person thinking and some just for fun. I don't intend to write articles that are heavy and controversial, or others that promote a product or try to educate. Sometimes a person just needs a little laughter or chuckle. I do not profess to be an article writer. I try to be a poet; sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don't.I didn't read anywhere that this site was exclusively for essays, and that poetry was off limits. In fact, I have read essays on this site encouraging people to write and post poetry.As for "just a nursery rhyme gone wrong" there is no JUST about nursery rhymes and the "gone wrong" seems harsh. If you don't like it, you can figure that out in a line or two and move on. Why blast a guys stuff. It wasn't a constructive blast. You didn't point out weak rhymes, or poor syntax, or anything else that could help the poet be a better poet.You are free to blast away, but I just want to say, I disapprove. I know that means nothing, but still, I disapprove.
Great little poem, David, although, a might scary. This farmer really did have a 'dark side'--actually his whole family. Well-written.SandraThanks Sandra,I wrote this one just for fun. Glad you liked it.
David, This was fun and I was singing to it, too! Warmly, BarbaraThanks, Barbara. It's hard not to sing along, isn't it. The whole time I was writing and proof reading this one, I was singing it. I tried to only read it, but ended up with that crazy tune in my head.
I think that it take poety to a new level so to speak.I'll try to figure just what he was thinking
The rhyme is a bit contrived and the flow isn't that great. Sorry this poem didn't do anything for me.That's okay, Jennifer, I appreciate your comments anyway. Try some of my other poems, maybe some of them will be better.
I found my self singing!That seems to be what happens when one reads this little ditty. Hope you got a chuckle from it.
Hi David, again you leave me pondering many things. You are gifted! DO you ever read Ted Dekker or Frank Peritti? You remind me of them quite a bit--in poetry style. Great job. Lord bless you!I'm not familiar with their works, but I'll look them up. Thanks, Teresa.Hi again, o-you will love them. They write supernatural thrillers about spritual warfare. They deal with the dark side of the human soul when left to its own devices and always have great twists and turns of unexpected magnitude by the time you get to the end.If I may, I would recommend reading the trilogy "Black", "Red", "White" by Ted Dekker, of course he has more, but this one is about the two lives--one in a dream world and one in reality--but which one is the dream and which one is the reality?For Frank Peretti, I would recommend "The Oath"Then there is "House" by Dekker and Peretti--this one is amazing.I have a feeling you might get hooked if you give them a try. These are my two favorite authors for this genre.I am in the middle of Showdown by Dekker--I can't wait to get to the end :-)
I wish I knew the song, but I tried to give it a tone of my own, and I'm not sure how that goes. Thanks for the poem. ~mogama~The original "Farmer In The Dell" is an old nursery rhyme with a distinct tune. When one is familiar with this nursery rhyme, it is hard to read it without having the tune go through your head.
Maybe it's me - I'm not as erudite as I feel I should be - but I think I missed the point. It's well written, but there's probably something here that is escaping me. Might be my own fault (and probably is) though.Don't think too hard about this one, Brian. I wrote this poem a couple years ago as a challenge. The challenge was to take a well-known nursery rhyme and re-write it with a darker tone. That's all this is. It was meant to be fun and light-hearted. There is nothing hidden or deep in this writing.I'm really not sure why this poem has been getting so much attention, but I'm glad you have added your comments.
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