Henri Jules Jean Geoffroy, French
“Yeah, I Know I Used To Only Demand 2 of Your Cookies Per Day. But Now It’s 2-and-a-Quarter Cookies. The Fed Raised Rates Again,” 1882
Oil on canvas
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/// Schoolyard Snack Time. We see signs of stress
on the blonde in a spotless white dress.
Her young bully is short,
but knows how to extort:
“Give me cake, or mud makes you a mess!”
/// With a fistful of soil at his back
he was confident he’d get her snack.
Though he’s small, in his heart
he’s a young Bonaparte.
Show no mercy if forced to attack.
/// Young heads swivel when showdowns begin.
One child flashes a satisfied grin.
The blonde’s family is wealthy;
the boy’s poor and unhealthy.
Is it jealousy? Some hope he’ll win.
/// That tall kid is a tough schoolyard goon
who’ll snatch snacks, when it seems opportune.
“It is good for their health
when rich toffs share the wealth,”
said his père at the Paris Commune.
Disclaimer:
/// I’m no expert on that era’s dress
or kids’ hairstyles, so I made a guess
that the blonde’s a jeune fille,
(‘cause it seemed so to me),
but I’m sure I was wrong, I confess.
/// Wealthy blond kid’s stuck-up and resented
in the schoolyard, and so he’s presented
with a “luxury tax.”
He’ll surrender his snacks
(if he wishes his beating prevented).
/// The tall boy with a satchel of leather
is the school bully; he decides whether
a child gets to eat
his own brought-from-home treat,
using henchmen who all work together.
/// Thus, the bully has taken control
of the students in this small école.
It won’t help to cajole,
or his “virtues” extol—
he’s a thug and his Dad’s on parole.
/// The blond mamma’s-boy never asserts
himself, hoping to minimize hurts.
But things work out in time.
When he’s caught in a crime
bully-boy will get his just deserts.