The chief joy of writing and rehearsing fairytales is that imagination is queen. Often the less believable and less Cartesian a fairytale is, the more appealing and enduring it is. Think of Snow White (how does coughing up a poisoned apple wake someone up from a 7-year death-like sleep?) or the remarkably titled tale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.” In today’s post, New Jersey author Jai Lynn gives her own little twist to the concept of a fairytale, all the while teaching us a oft-neglected lesson about handling mistreatment.
_________________________________________________________________________________
“Fairytale”
Once upon a time…
is how I shall begin.
A castle wrought in ivory
and knights arrayed in tin.
A jovial king
made of poultry
and sweet pie.
A dour queen
to never question
how or why?
In money and power
the kingdom
was renowned.
As were two princes
hunting in the woods
to be found.
The older
of the two
was strong and fit
but the younger
was smarter and
drowning in wit.
One day the older got an idea
to take his little brother
out to hunt deer
only his motives
in the situation
were very unclear.
They rode together
on black horses
of noble breed
till the older deserted
the younger, losing him
in the woods the deed.
The younger cried
realizing too late
he was alone,
and left to die,
his whereabouts
largely unknown.
Days passed
into weeks,
for the king and queen.
Mourning their loss
of the little prince
gone and unseen.
The prince
was never to return
do you see?
For in those
very woods
he built his own country.
He used his head
to find shelter
and food,
he made friends
with the foxes
wild and shrewd.
He survived
and grew older
in a castle of trees.
A kingdom of nature
that stretched
away to the seas.
Did you think this was
a story of revenge
and deceit?
Sometimes the best comeback
is living well
and not falling to defeat.
The younger prince knew
what his brother
had done,
so he did one better
and lived a happy life
under the sun.
Living well
is retribution
kept hush
because swords are flashier,
as is dying
in the dust.
But don’t think
the older prince
still got to be.
His kingdom fell to ruin
while the younger’s
is still free.
As this is a fairytale
and I the crafter
all that’s left to say is
that prince lived happily ever after.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Jai Lynn was born and raised in the suburbs of New Jersey and after trying out a number of career paths finally decided to follow her passion of writing. Her previous work has been featured in Drunk Monkeys. You can find her other writings on her website jailynn.com or track her down @jaiiiilynn4 on either Twitter or Instagram.
Thank you so much for posting my poem!! Sam it was great working with you 😀
LikeLiked by 3 people
This was so clever and a very strong wise poem. Nice job ^-^
LikeLiked by 3 people
Thank you so much for the kind praise!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Very beautiful story. Amazing and wisely written. The theme is very unique and so is the message. Wonderful work!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thank you!!! I loved writing the twist, and subverting what one might normally think might happen ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people