by Joseph Stanton
The extremity of her sensitivity
impressed a richly idle princely family,
who could not see they missed the real pea
of her discomfort, bothered as she had to be
by the absurd softness of the ample beddings,
not to mention the pillow piles aggravating
her much lamented acrophobic dis-ease.
As years passed by, she taught her king
how a board under the mattress aids the spine
and keeps it straight and ready for laughter.
Under her guidance, both wise and refined,
the kingdom prospered, happily ever after.
