Hand in hand they dance in a raw,
Hither and thither, and to and fro,
Flip! Flap! Flop! and away they go---
Flutt'ring creatures as white as snow.
Like restive horses they caper and prance;
Like fairy-tale witches they wildly dance;
Rounded in front, but hollow behind,
They shiver and skip in the merry March wind.
One I saw dancing excitedly,
Struggling so wildly till she was free,
Then, leaving pegs and clothes-line behind her,
She flew like a bird, and no one can find her,
I saw her gleam, like a sail, in the sun,
Flipping and flapping and flopping for fun.
Nobody knows where she now can be,
Hid in a ditch, or drowned in the sea.
She was my handkerchief not long ago,
But she'll never come back to my pocket, I know.

1. hither and thither: (old English, no longer in use) here and there
2. flutt'ring: (fluttering) moving with short and quick movements
3. restive: restless, not staying still
4. caper: to jump and dance happily
5. prance: to walk by raising steps higher than usual
6. gleam: shine; faint light
7. ditch: a long narrow hole dug in the ground
8. drowned: died because of being under water for too long