The structure of the poem is an interesting one — the entire story is presented as a single verse, and although it rhymes in an ABAB pattern, there is no structure to the syllable count. At face value, the story told is simple — the narrator is the parent of a young boy of three years who falls into a group of nettle plants, well-known for being incredibly sharp. The young boy is hurt, and the parent decides to do what they have to to protect their child in the future — they console their child back into smiling before destroying every nettle plant in the area and burning the fallen spikes. It is of no use, however — within two weeks, they have all grown back, and the parent looks at them as a danger, just waiting to hurt their child once more.