STALKY JACK
I knew a boy who took long walks,
Who lived on beans and ate the stalks;
In the Giants' Country he lost his way;
They kept him there for a year and a day.
But he has not been the same boy since
An alteration he did evince;
For you may suppose that he underwent
A change in his notions of extent!
He looks with contempt on a nice high door,
And tries to walk in at the second floor!
He stares with surprise at a basin of soup,
He fancies a bowl as large as a hoop;
He calls the people minikin mites;
He calls a sirloin a couple of bites!
Things having come to these pretty passes,
They bought him some magnifying glasses.
He put on the goggles, and said, 'My eyes!
The world has come to its proper size!'
But all the boys cry 'Stalky John!
There you go with your goggles on!'
What girls would marry him-and quite right
To be taken for three times her proper height?
So this comes of taking extravagant walks,
And living on beans and eating the stalks!
WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS
Summary: 'Stalky Jack' by William Brighty Rands tells the amusing tale of a boy who had a peculiar habit of taking long walks and sustaining himself primarly on beans, even eating the stalks. During one of his excursions, he accidentally wandered into the Giants' Country and got lost. The Giants kept him there for a year and a day.
After his return, Stalky Jack exhibited a noticeable change in his perception of size and extent. He began to look down upon regular-sized doors and attempted to walk into buildings at the second floor. A simple basin of soup seemed too small for him, as he imagined it to be the size of a large hoop. He even referred to people as minikin mites and a sirloin as just a couple of bites.
To remedy his distorted views, they bought him magnifying glasses. When he wore them, he exclaimed, 'My eyes! The world has come to its proper size!' However, his peers teased him, calling him 'Stalky John' and mocking him for wearing the goggles.
The poem humorously depicts the consequences of Stalky Jack's extravagant walks and peculiar diet on his perception and understanding of the world around him. It also playfully raises questions about how others might perceive us when we develop odd habits or behaviours.
