A Proper Critic

Jack and Jill ran up the hill
to fetch a pail of water
Here, dear student we have the metaphor
of hill as passage of life
and you may well look
to the true meaning of pail
There will be a short oral exam
at the end of this critique

We note that Jack runs up that hill
leading to the obvious
conclusion
among those who perceive
the many facets of that word
that Jack was unfulfilled
Merely grasping for footholds
in life's upward struggle

Will he outrun his mother's dominance?
surpass his father's success?
Indeed, the turning of a word
is clearly proof
of the author's ambivalence
toward early toilet training
Yet, one must unmask the nuance
the very essence of meaning

And what of Jill?
Oh yes, it's clear this is no
childlike poem
She must deal with the guilt
of his broken crown
must recognize her fall
is closely, perhaps irretrievably
linked to his

Consider the inevitability of that
Papers will be due on Wednesday
drawing parallels
between the author's fixation
on women's shoes
particularly those with open toes
and Jack's dalliance with Jill
A proper critic demands to know