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Jack and Kath (long poem)
Jack Benbow and his younger sister Kath
went for a walk along a winding path.
This led them through some very high trees
past some bluebells and buzzing bee’s.
The birds sang their songs on this sunny day
as the children happily went their way.
Along the path they skipped and walked,
singing and playing as they talked.
They came across a clearing in the wood
where a sign pointed to Notsogood.
“What a funny name for a place, ” said Kath.”
“Yes, ” said Jack, “but it’s time to head back.
We’ll go back the same way as we came
and follow the path back home again.”
But the path led them deeper into the wood
and up to another sign to Notsogood.
“Kath, didn’t we pass that sign earlier today,
surely we must head back the other way? ”
So they turned around and began to walk back.
“Look, ” said Kath, “there’s another sign Jack.
And that’s also pointing to Notsogood,
how do we get out of this silly wood? ”
“Let’s just follow the sign and see where it goes
it’s better than following the end of your nose.”
The winding path went from wide to narrow
as the dark clouds made it harder to follow.
Over a stream and home cooking filled the air,
it led to a shack, with a cat sleeping on a chair.
The rickety fence led them down the overgrown path,
“Let’s knock on the door for directions, ” said Kath.
The door slowly opened with a long drawn out creak,
an old woman in black appeared who began to speak.
“Hello happy children what a nice pleasant surprise, ”
as she looked at them closely with her piercing eyes.
“I was just about to make a lovely pot of herbal of tea,
would you like to join Malapropis and me? ”
“Malapropis, is that really the name of your cat? ”
“Yes it is, and all she ever does is get incredibly fat.”
This old woman’s nails were dirty, long and pointed,
and her nose and chin was bent and disjointed.
“Children, would you like sweetness in your tea? ”
“Yes please, we like it as sweet as can be”
“However, afterwards we must begin walking home.”
The woman didn’t look happy and gave out a moan.
She discreetly poured a potion into the children’s tea,
but gave more to Kath to make her extra sleepy.
While the children slept on the shacks wooden floor
the old woman lifted up a timber trap door.
She carried Kath down the steps into the cellar below
and put her into a box with a straw pillow.
She then mixed a potion and gave it to her while she slept,
a spell was cast as she danced, and with delight she wept.
This magical mixture would exchange their looks and age
it began to work in moments, and they began to change.
The witch was now young and the spitting image of Kath,
and Kath though asleep was old with a face of cracks.
The witch quickly ran up the steps and shut the trap door,
and tried to wake up Jack from his potioned snore.
“Wake up Jack; it’s time to go while the witch is away,
we’ve got to go now, quick right away.”
Jack yawned, “Okay Kath but which way shall we go? ”
“Just follow that cat, she seems to know.”
He couldn’t distinguish between the witch and Kath,
and sure enough the cat led them along the path.
“Best not to tell our parents Jack where we have been,
we’ll say we’ve been helping dear old Mr Green.”
“But Kath, we can’t tell a lie to our mum and dad.”
“It’ll be alright Jack; a white lie isn’t so bad.”
“I’ll say we were late because we helped with the hay,
and we didn’t know the time until the farmer did say.”
Their parents were anxious because they were so late,
and their gravy had dried in rings around their plate.
No one noticed any difference in their darling little Kath,
except for the croak in her voice when she began to laugh.
But they thought this amusing and just one of those things,
and it didn’t affect her singing because she couldn’t sing.
Malapropis couldn’t get used to a house made of stone,
so went back and joined Kath at the Notsogood home.
Because of her age she couldn’t walk far and hobbled about,
and read the witch’s books of spells day in and day out.
At the age of seventeen the witch became betrothed
to the old Tax Collector who was wealthy and loathed.
Jack’s mother and father could not understand why
she should want to marry a man so hated and sly.
One day Jack and his new puppy went for a walk in the wood
and after a while saw the signpost pointing to Notsogood.
Memories came back of when he and his sister were lost that day
and no matter where they went the sign pointed the same way.
Eleven years had passed him by since that unusual cloudy day,
and so he decided to retrace his steps if he could remember the way.
He followed the signposts, but still the shack he couldn’t find,
but a tawny owl had been following for quite sometime.
He looked up at the owl and the owl looked down at him,
and then it began to flap its wings and make a noisy din.
It flew from tree to tree as though it wanted to be followed,
so he ran through the trees and over the stream that flowed.
Eventually they came to the shack that hadn’t changed one bit,
and as he was about to knock at the door the old woman opened it.
“Jack! Jack! ” She said, “Where’ve you been for all this time?
I’ve been living here and going out of my mind? ”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand, of course you live here.”
“Why did you leave me Jack, a little girl alone, so full of fear? ”
“What do you mean leave you? You live here in this shack.”
“Oh dear, you don’t realise who I am, do you Jack? ”
Yes, you’re the old woman my sister and I met years ago.”
“Oh Jack, how can you think that I’m that old so and so? ”
“Well you look like her and your fat cat’s come back.”
“Please let me explain what has happened Jack.”
Kath explained that she had been given a potion and left to sleep
while the witch exchanged bodies and left her to weep,
and when she awoke and eventually got out of the cellar
the witch and he had gone leaving her forever.
“So you’re saying it wasn’t you that came home with me that day,
it was the witch, who also made me lie and told me what to say?
Is there anything we can do to turn this situation around,
considering your age and that your legs are unsound? ”
“I may be old, but I’ve learned many things whilst I’ve been here
about spells and potions, and how to mix them with tea, wine, or beer.
If you can add a fresh potion to her cup before she takes a drink
it will reverse the wrong doing in the time it takes her to blink? ”
“Yes, I can do that; her wedding reception is on Saturday night,
oh, what perfect timing to put all her nastiness to right.”
“Whatever you do Jack, don’t mention this to mum or dad
because if things do go wrong we’ll all be sad.
If you can manage to give her the drink at precisely eight o’clock
I can begin to cast my spell, which will make hers unlock.
If everything goes to plan, in no time at all she’ll grow back old,
and I'll have my life back with a story to be told.
After the deed, I’ll find my way back on my own
and I’ll see mum, dad, and you later when you arrive home.
Does this plan for the wicked witch sound alright with you,
if it does I’ll begin to make my very special potion brew? ”
“Yes, but it’s a pity we can’t get back your stolen eleven years.”
“I’ll be happy to be myself again and to see that witch in tears.
The potion’s finished, now take this small bottle of special brew
it’s very strong, so please don’t add any more drops than two.
If everything goes well I will see you late on Saturday night,
I’m so excited with the prospect of everything coming to right.”
“Don’t you worry Kath we’ll beat that life stealing old hag
and stop her spending the Tax Collector’s bag.”
The Tax man and the witch were having a wonderful wedding day
she was all smiles with airs and graces, and no one got in her way.
She now had beauty, security, and all that wealth could bring,
and a pompous old man that would be dead before spring.
At the expensive crowded wedding reception early that night
Jack had his task of putting the past’s wrongs to right.
The main speeches were being said to rapturous applause
and the time was now right for Jack’s worthy cause.
He filled two glasses with wine and added all the potion to one,
but forgot which was the witch’s and the time had nearly come.
At two minutes to eight he took a chance and gave the witch a glass
and asked everyone to drink to his sister’s health and happiness.
He pretended to take a sip and then encouraged the witch to drink,
she gulped it down and in a flash her body began to shrink.
Everyone in the room was watching and saw her vanish to the floor
all that remained was her dress, some dust and not a lot more.
The guests were shocked and horrified and couldn’t believe their eyes,
the Tax Collector choked on a chicken bone, and keeled over and died.
Jack’s mother and father sobbed at the loss of their only daughter
and couldn’t understand why Jack was in a fit of laughter.
“At sometime tonight, ” said Jack, “there will be another huge surprise
far greater than what’s happened here and you won’t believe your eyes.”
They thought that this was in poor taste and told him to stop fooling around,
and to show respect for his poor sister lying as dust on the ground.
Later they entered their house and saw their daughter standing by a chair
she looked so young and beautiful, with flowers in her flowing red hair.
With tears in their eyes her parents said, “But Kath how can that be? ”
So we began to tell them about the witch, herself and me.
poem
by
Orlando Belo
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