His staff was crooked, his back was bent

The hill he climbed was steep

The day was fair as it was back then

A memory he longed to keep

They'd run and laughed and climbed with ease

No cares at all that day

And finally at the top

They'd rested from their play

They had danced around the hilltop well

Coloured pails gaily swinging

And under skies of blue all nature knew

The sound of children singing

With muscles strained he plodded on

Feet aching from the climb

And when at last the crest appeared

He bemoaned that other time

The well still stood, 'tho aged and crumbling

That destination long ago

The bucket split, the water gone

And this hill where he went tumbling

'Oh, Jack!' She'd cried, when he fell down

Then she tripped and fell as well

He lay still with a broken crown

Alive or dead she couldn't tell

She came once to visit then said goodbye

After learning he would recover

He watched her leave, a defeated sigh

For his imagined, erstwhile lover

He replayed the days he'd shared with Jill

And on his face there grew a frown

He realized now, amid decaying ruins on the hill

That she had actually pushed him down!