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.