Rapunzel Reads the I Ching.

That girl who threw a fistful of square white stones

Every morning early

To read the I Ching before her aunt awoke,

Demanding toast with honey as she checked the morning headlines.

Demanding a weekly Beano sent up on a silver platter.

When did she last throw that handful of old stones,

And what pattern did they make where they fell

On the threadbare carpet in her small bedroom?

Did they prophecy love or a sudden early demise?

It seems she abruptly ceased to socialize,

Keeping the one door locked - pulling down the blinds -

Living off junk food delivered after dark

By a strange stooped man with a limp and a single eye,

A sort of Rumplestiltskin lookalike

Who spied for her aunt while serving up the pies.

The aunt, some say, eats little girls and boys,

That`s why Rapunzel had bolted all the doors.

It is said each night she let her hair hang down

In golden shreds out of her first floor window

To be climbed by a lover smart enough for the task.

A teen aged princeling? - A Rock God in pink loafers? -

A roofer light on his feet?

But I treat these tales as hearsay, ridiculous tittle - tattle,

Fake news that has tumbled twice around the stars

Before burning up attempting a clean reentry.

The rumour is that she has had a baby,

A big plump boy with lots of golden curls

And a cheeky smile wide as the Firth of Forth.

Single mums are not uncommon in her family. -

But her lesbian aunt would certainly not approve,

That is if Rumplestiltskin spilled the beans.

And now I hear she has scarpered from the tower,

Run off with her lover, whoever he might be,

Deep into the forest late at night.

What is certain is that her aunt was taken into custody

A day or two back. Something about the contents of her pies

And the lifelike appearance of her gingerbread men.

Also a bag full of golden hair was found in the kitchen,

Alongside a babies rattle and a pair of pink loafers.

And it turns out that Rumplestiltskin was working for the Yard.

And so we now must await the court appearance

To discover who told the truth,- and who told lies. 

Trevor John Karsavin Potter. 23rd. -  30th. December 2021.- May 28th. 2024.