About Prunes Poem by John Carter Brown

When I was young and healthy
and bouncing on my feet,
my Mother came to me one day,
well, dragged me off the street.

She said, "I need to talk to you, "
and I said, "what about? "
she asked me, "have you been today? "
about which I knew now't.

"Have I been where? " I asked her,
as blithely as a tot, and
innocent as any child
that barely knows a dot.

"To the toilet, Johnny boy, "
"I gave you prunes to 'go'
by now my mind had drifted off,
no arrows in it's bow.

With fortitude my Mum pressed on
I couldn't fathom why,
"what have prunes to do with me? "
her eyes rolled to the sky.

And then I had a feeling, and
I needed then to 'go'
my Mother had a saying,
"They work you them, you know."

(Written Dec 2019)