Poetry Stretch: Obsession, by Prince Charming

 

This week’s Poetry Stretch  over at Miss Rumphius Effect is about fairy tales. My WIP is actually a collection of poems all with a certain hook and related to fairy tales, but I can’t share one of those here. So here’s a different one, for an older teen audience.

Obsession

by Prince Charming

 

I thought the glass shoe

Was just a quirk

 

It got my attention

Certainly

And had all the kingdom talking

 

But my wife really harbors an unhealthy passion for shoes

            Slippers, mules, pumps, boots

            Velvet, leather, fur, tapestry

She whispers the words in her sleep

            gentle

                        terrifying

 

She would rather shoe-shop than

Dine with me

            What is food compared to the sleek sweetness of a perfect heel?

 

She would rather shoe-shop than

Play with our children

            What is laughter compared to the metric knocking of heels on slate floors?

 

She would rather shoe-shop than

Breathe

            What is life without the right shoes to live it?

 

I have found her

Reclining on our closet’s stone floor

Ruining a silk gown

Admiring

Towers of soles and heels looming overhead

 

And I wonder:

How many pairs of shoes does it take to make a princess happy?

–Laura Purdie Salas, all rights reserved

Thanks, Tricia! You have some fantastic poems in your comments. Wow!

Addendum: You can see all the results of the Poetry Stretch here.

The Poetry Friday roundup is at Critique de Mr. Chompchomp this week! Check it out.

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