A Bedtime Story
I tell my child
a bedtime story
in which
the wise king
and munificent queen
are burned to
a crisp by dragons,
the handsome prince
is decapitated
during sword-fight practice,
the beautiful princess
dies of the plague
and an ogre
moves into the castle.
My child bursts
into tears.
He’s upset that
I forgot the part
where the
lovely white horse
is eviscerated
by trolls.
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