A Ballad of Humankind (in Fifty Fairytale Lines)

Mirror, mirror on the wall –
Are humans really fairest of all?
You shall go to the ball, they say –
But midnight’s hopes don’t always stay.

“All the better to eat you with!” – so quick,
We chase temptations, bite the trick.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair –
We text for lifelines, scroll and stare.

Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
Who leaves dishes ’round the house?
The princess pricks her finger, deep –
Hit snooze again, return to sleep.

The name is Rumpelstiltskin, tricks concealed,
We hide our names, our truths unsealed.
A promise is a promise – sure!
Except when New Year’s resolutions blur.

The elves have made the shoes by dawn,
Yet emails multiply once they’re gone.
Man, go back to your pigsty, fast –
Your tidy room will never last.

Run, run as fast as you can!
Deadlines chase the modern man.
This porridge is just right, declare –
But nothing fits – it’s never fair!

I’ll huff and puff and blow your house in,
Rent’s so high, where to begin?
Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell a trend –
We Google, scroll and condescend.

Beauty, will you marry me?
Swipe right, then left, then wait and see.
It doesn’t matter which yard, they say –
If your swan’s egg will hatch one day.

A mermaid has no tears let fall –
We bottle up, ignore it all.
But the emperor has nothing on!
We trust in brands, and reason’s gone.

I scarcely slept a wink last night –
Insomniacs bathe in blue screen light.
Small as Thumbelina on a tulip seat,
Social feeds make egos shrink and bloat – repeat.

The Snow Queen’s kiss, a frosty ghost –
We lose old friends we once loved most.
Dance on, red shoes! – career parade,
Until both feet are sore and frayed.

“Grandmother, take me with you” – cried,
We seek connection Facebook-wide.
The Marquis of Carabas arrives for show –
Who hasn’t faked a résumé to go?

Anne, my sister Anne, do you see anyone near?
“Did they read my message, did they hear?”
New lamps for old, such is the spin –
Trade up, upgrade, and never win.

“Open, Sesame!” – password denied,
The Old Man of the Sea is a Wi-Fi guide.
Seven at one blow! – emails read,
But work replaces foe with dread.

Here I am, mother! Tiny on Zoom –
Calling home from a virtual room.
Come, children, follow me! –
To the latest craze, inevitably.

Wolf! Wolf! – the media cries,
Truth is lost amidst the lies.
Slow and steady wins the race,
But hustlers worship frantic pace.

Sour grapes! – when dreams unmet,
We settle for the internet.
You sang all summer? Dance all night –
Winter’s bills give quite a fright.

Don’t kill the goose for golden gain –
Still, we hurry for the train.
Everything I touch turns to gold –
But joy is rarely bought or sold.

Once Real, you can’t unreal be –
Authentic hearts strive to be free.
Soles worn through from daily grind,
Swans and brothers: changing mind.

The golden goose sticks tight to fame –
But musicians in spirit still remain.
Fetch golden hairs, traverse despair –
Yet rarely is life truly fair.

Alas, alas, if mother knew,
Her heart would break – it’s sort of true.
“My mother killed me, father ate me” –
Family dinners with third degree.

I love you – just a tin soldier’s cry,
Yet stand firm, though times go by.
Go on, nightingale, song or tweet,
Strike the tinderbox – new friends to meet.

Swans, tin soldiers, transform once more –
Yet humans hope, and dream, and soar –
Unsteady but steadfast in life’s wild dance,
Fifty tales, but we all crave one chance.

by Bakchos