There was a crooked man (IF crooked)

Crooked Stile: A study. 18x18cm ©Sue Pownall 2012

The theme for Illustration Friday was Crooked. Luckily for me although here in Muscat it is Friday, and a new theme is due, it's still Thursday in USA and I can post this last minute submission. I was thinking of using Cathy's idea of a crooked tree (see her lovely entry here) when I remembered this poem and I produced this drawing. The stile is actually an element in a idea for a drawing I've been toying with for a couple of years, so maybe now I will start on it.

There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.
He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse.
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

“The origin of the nursery rhyme "There was a crooked man" is in British history. The origin of this poem originates from the English Stuart history of King Charles 1. The crooked man is reputed to be the Scottish General Sir Alexander Leslie. The General signed a covenant securing religious and political freedom for Scotland. The 'crooked stile' referred to… being the border between England and Scotland. 'They all lived together in a little crooked house' refers to the fact that the English and Scots had at last come to an agreement. The words reflect the times when there was great animosity between the English and the Scots.” (Source: http://www.rhymes.org.uk)