*Spoiler alert!* This is a serial - don't jump into the middle! Part I is here.
III.
Still shouldering the ham, the man went in,
As ev'ryone was sitting down to eat.
A preacher prayed, to keep them safe from sin,
But no one heard - they all had seen the meat.
Then all at once, they offered what they had:
"My shoes could buy a slice of ham!" said one.
Another said "this sweater isn't bad!"
"My hat, perhaps?" ...When all the bids were done,
He said "Good folk, by rights my faithful wife
Should have it. But I see you need it more.
Please, keep your things. I've wanted, all my life,
A mill... just like this one beside the door!"
And so the deal was done - they made the swap.
His friend then taught him how to use the mill,
But more important, how to make it stop.
And now, with all his magic milling skill,
He took it home, in time for Christmas Eve,
And showed it to his wife. "You won't believe
The things it does! Just watch!" And then he sat:
"Grind flour, grind it out as fast as that!"
His wife was cross, and set to disapprove,
When suddenly, the mill began to move.
End of Part III. Go to Part IV.
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Alysa Salzberg
Melissa Miles McCarter
Scarlett Sumac
jlsathre
Matt Paust
Jowita Bydlowska
Salon.com
Comments
You always know how to just keep us hanging and wanting more.
More please!
"His wife was cross, and set to disapprove,
When suddenly, the mill began to move."
Great couplet!
(of all the impossibilities in life)