A sad and sorry picture, and one that I deplore;
One that should make all normal people feel sickened and heartsore.
But this, or something similar, is needed to portray
The 'J' word, 'Jackanapes', I use in this blog today.
Monkeys were imported five hundred years ago;
Brought from Naples to England to be chained and put on show.
'Jacks from Naples' they were called, when they were taunted in the streets,
Though they were sometimes petted and given little treats.
Now one of the King's great ministers was William de la Pole,
Who had risen from humble beginnings to rise to this great role.
Unfortunately, his coat of arms portrayed a collar and chain,
And this was used to insult him time and time again.
Some hinted that he was a 'monkey', whose power should be denied,
And he was mocked and ridiculed all over the countryside.
'Jack Napes' was the name they gave him, and the name was his forever,
Though it was certainly unkind and not even very clever.
After his death the name was changed to what it is today,
( Although it's hardly used at all, in any sort of way.)
A jackanapes is an upstart, an impertinent person, a child
Who has no manners and, monkey-like, just keeps running wild.
Let us remember all victim 'apes' who've been ridiculed down the ages,
Their lives a very sorry blot on the world's history pages.
*
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BUCKET LIST
This is someone else's Bucket List;
I discovered it on line.
When I saw the word 'bikini'
I knew it wasn't mine!
I haven't got a Bucket List;
There isn't time for one.
I'm very nearly eighty,
So my life will soon be done!
*
I expect that sounds quite morbid,
Sort of hopeless and distressed,
And anyone under thirty
Must be madly unimpressed.
But I am one of the fortunate
Who, almost without trying,
Finds myself, at the end of life,
In a state that's satisfying.
*
Daredevil tricks like abseiling
Have never held appeal
So, even in my early days,
They were never part of the deal.
My Bucket, if I'd had one,
Would always have been achievable;
No jumping off Mount Everest.....
For me quite unbelievable!
*
No, my list would have been simple,
Had I made one in my youth.
Travel, Writing, Family.
That's all, and that's the truth!
So now my Bucket's empty,
With nothing left to hold.
It all came true, so here I am
Simply growing old.
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PS
Please forgive me for publishing a whole new set of photos of 'Rags to Riches'. We had our matinee on Tuesday and the lighting was much better than on Saturday. I know quite a few of my Merry Maidens (?) like to check on my blog for photos.
