Tonight's Poet Corner: A Real Fairy Tale

A Real Fairy Tale
by Belinda Roddie

The dragon sneezes, and out comes
glitter. The pixies sleep at noon. Every
gnome brings a rose to their careless king
who can't help dancing in his own garden,
cracking the stone beneath his boots, shredding
his skin on the thorns and bristles. I was a knight

defending your honor, m'lady, and you fell
in love with my daughter. You made me
a cauldron of stew that turned my hair into the
most appalling shade of the sea, and I've
never been back to your castle since.