Before the Queen's Croquet Party
Mistakes were made, a rose bush was mislaid:
the wrong one was planted,
in the garden, in the enchanted glade.
An instruction had come down from the queen,
but sure not all gardners are as they seem.
For when suits take a hand it's never as grand,
and work may not happen as planned.
The white rose bush should've been red.
Fact was, the queen might take off a head.
So the green fingered boys, between them, devised
a plan to confuse the queen's dread.
So they bought a bucket of paint.
And down to the garden they went.
And one held the bucket, and one held the rose,
and the other took up painter's pose.
Then all hell broke loose in the glade.
When one boy realised he'd been played.
Sure his head was a goner,
for he did a dishonour of confusing cooks' onions
with old tulip bullion, that he found, in the shed, in the glade.
And not known the difference herself.
Cook added the roots with the veg.
And when the queen went for dinner,
begad there was a prize winner
red tullip growing out of the bread.
OFF WITH HER HEAD OFF WITH HER HEAD--
Steamed shouts wafted out of the room,
and poor cook fell down in a swoon.
Then the king had no dinner,
and the queen had to wind her,
so she shook her and gave her a spoon,
and said to take the bulbs out, she might prune.
So the cook was happy again.
The king ate dinner in his den.
But the queen still fummed,
for someone had assumed
that she'd not spot the difference
in the colour of the red and green veg.
For she'd not seen the tulip at all.
but had ordered green veg when she'd called--
twas two green veg, and two fruits de la jus
de la moon--to see cook, in the cellar, at noon.
But cook had served carrots and mushrooms and bread.
So confusion reigned in the glade.
As the lads painted over mistakes,
and rumours abounded and nonsense astounded,
as Alice watched the parade ...
Marie Lynam Fitzpatrick, Oct. 2015