In the nursery rhyme, Jack

fell down and broke his crown.

Why was Jack wearing a crown?

If he was a prince, why

was he fetching a pail of water?

Or was he a boy

pretending to be a prince?

Or was it rather the crown

of his head? If so it must

have been quite a fall to pitch

him that headlong. And who

was Jill and why

did she come tumbling after?

What made these two

so accident prone?

Did Jack care?

No. He was an empty boy.

—Ron Padgett