Upon retrieval of her precious golden ball
the princess, foregoing her usual grace,
skipped forth at alacritous pace
arriving at the royal kitchens fairly
flushed with purpose whereupon she
thus began her discourse
Cook, dearest,
if you please
there’s to be a guest
prepare for him the very best
of flies fried quickly over an open flame
sauté some lily root with floured
larvae and plump grubs crusted in sesame
and finish, perhaps, with damselfly puffs
This menu will, I hope, be to his taste
or should there be, do you suppose
poached minnow on a bed of crab
apple sauce? Really I do not quite know
how to make good my promise
for the fare on my plate surely
cannot be suited to his amphibious frog palate…
Well, said cook,
I truly hope you do not make such requests a habit
This once, I’ll make an exception
though I sincerely doubt it’s worth it