Tacenda

Read Me A Bedtime Story

Into the attic
Through the cobwebs
Under the stacks of Beatles tracks
I found it

Marched to the kitchen to show off my find
But mommy took one glance and knew
Across the kitchen she flew
Out of my hands she snatched my loot
And threw it down the rubbish shoot
"Why oh why" I implore
"We don't read books like that anymore"

Later that night
All still and quiet
I retrieved my prize

Dove under the covers; flashlight in hand
Hugged my stolen treasure close
The book mommy can't stand
My bedtime story:
"The Real World"

Glanced to my bookshelf
Princes, magic, happily ever afters galore
They were such a bore
But I had a new bedtime story now
And so I made a vow
To read it cover to cover tonight

Not like the others, that's for sure
The prince still wears glorious coats
But from shrieking animal's fur he boasts
This king beats his queen black and blue
Pigs don't fly, bomber planes do
In a world of morals flipped
Fairy’s wings are ripped and snipped
This peasant doesn't ride away in a gold carriage
Falls in front of its wheels to make death a smoother passage

Wealthy step on each others toes to build empires
Slaves kept chained to their masters with wires
Princess fell in love with her lady in waiting
Now a sentence to the gallows she's baiting

Slam the book shut
Turn off the light
Cower under the covers with fright
Nightmarish scenes drift through my dreams
I sleep

Morning arrives
Pry open my eyes
Dash to the kitchen to announce my news
A world, a world we must save
To defeat this bedtime story we must be brave

I look to mommy to deliver our battle slogan
But she remains frozen
Even stranger, she wears a blindfold now
Can't help but wonder how I didn't notice it before
She is not alone in sporting this fabric mask
Daddy, my siblings, all our neighbors too

Their eyes wrapped tight in sickly sweet bondage
"Shut your eyes, shut your eyes"
"Block out your new found knowledge"
"Let me blind your mind" she cries

I whimper, I plea, desperate to escape
She promises to take away the bedtime monster
But the bliss she swears sounds like an imposter
I wriggle, I scream
The cotton demon she bares creeps closer, closer, closer still....

I like it here
My eyelashes flutter against the cool, soft fabric
I know now that there is nothing to fear
Princes, magic, happily ever afters galore
Read me a bedtime story mommy, just one more