For whatever reason he fell and, indeed, why he was even up on the wall in the first place, it doesn’t matter anymore. He may have been pushed, perhaps his seat undermined, or it could have been a jump out of sheer frustration, a Lemming leap. The reason doesn’t matter anymore, as it’s in the past.

Humpty’s journey began in pieces beneath his wall more than a year ago. He was a giant, scrambled jigsaw with only a vague memory of what he’d once been. Fortunate for Humpty there was a Princess who cared, and she was distressed to see him in pieces. The Princess called in all the King’s men to tackle the jigsaw: Doctors, Centrelinkers, NDIS, Support Workers, Hospitals, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists; they assembled quite an army, and together they tried to reassemble Humpty. He was perplexed at why so many were doing such a fruitless task. Didn’t  they know that Humpty can’t be put together again?

Humpty raised an eyebrow when someone found a corner piece, then another. He began to help with the jigsaw when enough bits had joined together to depict a horizon line, followed by others of the same subtle colour. But still he worried: he knew however clever the King’s men were, they could not perfectly complete this thousand piece puzzle, to make it exactly like before.

Humpty looked into the mirror and thought, “I have been given all the King’s men, and they have gotten most of my puzzle together again. But why did so many gather? Was it because the Princess had such a loud voice? She has, but that cannot be the only reason. Perhaps the King and all of his men expect something from or of me. Am I to be a world famous composer, or an author of renown ? A painter, sculptor?”

Nah. That’s not going to happen. But I can show my gratitude just by breathing, nothing more or less, nothing at all spectacular. I am the unhurried old man sitting in the sunshine who’s paying homage, and that’s enough. Patched-up Humpty still listens for the bother that got him atop the wall in the first place, but this time he knows better than to climb it.

Take care, Humpty.

Gregory Bryant