The Ballad of Jon and Jane
written by: Stephen Cook
They met one day in mid summer
Under a sheltering tree;
She ran to help when Jonnie fell,
Played nurse to his wounded knee.
It was the start of a perfect friendship
So effortless and free
And the next day when he saw her,
He said: “Jane, will you play with me?”
Well, that day was the first of many;
Summer sweltered without end
And Jon and Jane never doubted
They had found a special friend.
Joined at the heart, they played in the park,
Made a den by the river bend,
Their time played out like a roundabout
Or a game of “let’s pretend.”
Happy as larks from dawn to dark,
They dwelt in a world without guile;
She gave him her sweets, he loaned her his skates
Just to see the other smile.
She would show him hers, he would show her his
And then they would laugh a while
Or happily chat all afternoon,
Perched on the bridleway stile.
One day she told him, “I love you,
“I never knew a boy could be fun!”
He said: “I know and I’ll marry you,
“When our childhood game is won.”
Then she replied with a wry aside:
“What joy this thing we’ve begun.
“I think I’ll have your babies too,
Soon as we work out how it’s done!”
But one day when they met he was crying:
“Oh alas!” he wept, “Oh alack!”
And the sky turned dark over People’s Park
As summer turned its back.
When she asked him why, he told her:
“I gotta take my promises back,
“No longer can I play with you;
“My mummy says you’re black!”
- The Ballad of Jon and Jane - June 8, 2024
