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Fairy Tale
Posted: 15 July 2018
Word Count: 113
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Once upon a while ago
when Princes turned to frogs,
how was a damsel s’posed to know
the ‘likely’ polliwogs?
Should she soil her pretty hands
picking up amphibi-ans,
on the chance a well-placed kiss
might just fulfil her every wish?
Verily, she were a cracker
gambling that a slimy smacker
would elevate this Cinderella
providing her the perfect fella.
She pondered on the problem loads
and even tried a couple of toads,
but they’d remained small, fat, and wet –
a fact she tried hard to forget!
She never found the perfect ‘Him’
The ending of this tale is Grimm.
For, early Spring, while looking round
she slipped into a pond…and drowned.
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Comments by other Members
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 poemsgalore at 15:12 on 15 July 2018
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Mickey, I love this. Should she soil her pretty hands
picking up amphibi-ans, works just right.
She never found the perfect ‘Him’
The ending of this tale is Grimm.
For, early Spring, while looking round
she slipped into a pond…and drowned. had me rolling with laughter. Couldn't help thinking "serves her right"
I've just read your profile to find your favourite poet is John Betjeman. He's one of mine too. 
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 James Graham at 20:25 on 15 July 2018
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This is clever stuff. It’s high time somebody (as the Aussies say) poked mullock at fairy tales.
I wonder about your last poem, which you’ve put away to moulder in your archive. Have you got a revision for that slightly duff line? Is Joan’s suggestion good? And what do you think about doing an extra stanza? It’s a good poem and worth working on.
I’ll say more about ‘Fairy Tale’ – if you leave it here long enough! 
James.
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James Graham at 20:28 on 16 July 2018
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Hi Mike – I’m going to have to use your nickname here. Your first line takes the Mickey as well as anything in the poem. It wrecks the time-honoured opening of many a fairy tale. Fairy tales have to be happening ‘Once upon a while ago’ ( which seems longer ago than ‘Once upon a time’) so that children, or at any rate the most gullible, might just believe them.
And the rest of the poem very cleverly takes the Mickey out of that silly story of the Frog Prince. It’s a brilliant idea that it was hit and miss (always miss, never a hit) for aspiring damsels because frogs are frogs and toads are toads. Your anti-heroine seems to spend all her waking hours picking them up and kissing them. She never gives up.
Another angle I like a lot – this is the story of just one damsel, but I think it’s implied that frog-kissing was, a while ago at least, all the rage. Girls everywhere were trying their luck, until at last it died out because it never ever worked.
At first I thought the ending was rather severe, but on second thoughts it was her own fault. Silly girl, wanting to marry a prince, as if a prince was anything special! More than likely he would be a wife-beater or an idiot or both.
This is one of your best. You could follow it up by taking the Mickey out of some other fairy tales. Red Riding Hood is asking for it. I don’t like to draw attention to my own poems all the time, but ‘Cinderella’ is on the same sort of theme, and you might like it:
http://www.writewords.org.uk/archive/32738.asp
James.
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 joanie at 11:16 on 27 July 2018
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Love it, Mike! Your rhymes are brilliant; when they are deliberately 'forced', they are so clever.
Should she soil her pretty hands
picking up amphibi-ans,
Great stuff!
Joan
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Mickey 
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