Fable Poem by Chuck Toll

An old and jealous king his army led
To battle, gaining gold and other booty.
The greatest prize by far, t’was said,
Was a princess of unsurpassed beauty,
And to this maiden the king was wed.

The jealous king fretted constantly
That knights or even common men
Might test his young bride’s chastity.
The idea of a belt he soon dismissed,
For what if someone gained the key?
Hide her in a tower away from view?
But men might scale the walls easily.
Ladies in waiting? No, he knew what
Women do with women. A quandary.

Finally the king settled on his warriors,
Not one but twenty of the very finest.
Carefully he placed them in her chambers,
Positioned so each in turn could guard
Not just the queen but also all the others.

But there was a flaw in the royal plan,
For the young queen’s heart proved large
As the old and jealous king’s was small.
Amid the throng she loosed her gown
And loved them all, you see,
And loved them all.