In Competition No. 2857 you were invited to take the first line of Leigh Hunt’s mini rondeau ‘Jenny Kissed me’, substitute another word for ‘kissed’ and continue for up to 16 lines.
Jenny proved to be a real crowd–puller and produced a high-calibre entry. A congratulatory slap on the back all round. Those printed below earn their authors £20 each and Mae Scanlan takes £25.
Jenny stunned me when we met;
It had been ten years or better.
She’d grown old and heavy-set —
Rolls of fat beneath her sweater.
Underneath each eye a sack that
You could fit a cat inside of;
Frankenstein’s the likely quack that
She could maybe be a bride of.
Jenny used to be a knockout;
Not a fellow could resist her.
Now, she’s one you’d like to block out,
Looking like Medusa’s sister.
Say I’m bald — no gift to ladies;
Say the God of Handsome shunned me.
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