More than a Little Red

Traditional tales are steeped in bloody red:
apples, shoes and roses are less than innocent
and Riding Hood performed a striptease for the wolf.

She removed her clothes and was eaten by the wolf
(for all we know her underwear was also red),
believing her hairy grandma must be innocent.

When I first heard this tale, wide-eyed and innocent,
I was not so much afraid of the big bad wolf
as determined I would never wear the colour red.

I still blush red, innocent and enthralled by a fairy tale wolf.

Kim M. Russell, 14th October 2018

Related image
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My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Fussy Little Forms: Tritina

This weekend, Marian’s proposing that we try the trtina, the more compact step-sister of sestina and villanelle, which was invented by the American poet Marie Ponsot. The tritina is a ten-line poem consisting of three tercets and a final line, featuring three repeating, non-rhyming line-end words that follow this pattern:  1-2-3; 3-1-2; 2-3-1; and the final line contains all 3 words as 1-2-3

 It does not have a required meter, but it is generally thought that tritina should have a consistent meter or rhythm throughout to emphasize the repetition and musical-refrain quality of the verse. The single end line is a conclusion, so tritina can be similar to a sonnet in that a turn can happen between lines 9 and 10.

Marian has shared an example by David Yezzi:  ‘Tritina for Susannah’ as well as one by Marie Ponsot, ‘Roundstone Cove’. My poem was inspired by Thursday’s un-fairytale prompt.

23 thoughts on “More than a Little Red”

  2. I smile a little here in the quiet night. My mind was not towards Riding Hood but rather on that innocent grandmother. Grandmas are not always innocent, just dig through the writings and drawings they’ve left behind. Good on the form, loved the poem and what’s hidden.
    ..

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  5. Ahhh… this is terrific. The repeating words not so perceptible as I read, because I was enthralled with what you are saying. That is a good thing in my book!
    Have you seen the movie of Into the Woods? My favorite part was the depiction of Red Riding Hood and the Wolf. Yowza 🙂

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