This one was inspired by Victorian accounts of Spring-Heeled Jack Sightings. There does seem to be a correlation between the social class of the victim and how severely they were affected, ranging from “lawks!” to *permanent residence at the better class of asylum*.
A terrible figure’s been seen round the town
He’s a devilish gentleman, dressed all in black
Who leaps over buildings in one single bound
And the name of this curious cove? Spring-Heeled Jack
They say five young ladies were sent into fits
While travelling home from a masquerade ball
And it’s thought that they may not recover their wits
For they saw Spring-heeled Jack leaping over a wall.
And a housemaid in Kensington
saw him last night
Standing in the back garden, his eyes glowing red
She says that he gave her a terrible fright
And she really believed that he might strike her dead
Is he human or fiend? Is he fiction or fact?
Is his provenance not of this world, or mundane?
Why are servant girls left with their senses intact
While the upper-class ladies are driven insane?
If I happen to meet Spring-Heeled Jack, of a night,
I’m glad that I’m common, and not too well bred:
Just a nice cup of tea and I’ll soon be set right,
But if I were a toff, I might go off my head!
Tom Juniper Poetry 