(Poem 305 for 2024 – I am writing a poem a day)

There once was a girl
who was very mean;
she pushed her brother
and refused to clean.

She did not feed the cat
and yelled at her dad;
she hit her mother
and broke things when mad.

One day she yelled
at a little old lady
who was sitting alone
in a spot that was shady.

The girl demanded
the woman give up the spot
because the sun was up
and she was very hot.

So the little old lady
gave up her prime seat,
but rather than thank her
or say something sweet,

the little girl screamed,
“You’re ugly and old!”
And the woman turned ‘round
with a look that was cold.

Her face transformed
to a monstrous sight,
and the mean little girl
was filled with fright.

“Your very own words,”
the scary witch said,
“now apply to you
until the day you are dead.”

The little girl gasped
and ran to her room
where she looked in a mirror
and was filled with doom.

No longer young looking,
her skin was lined;
she could hardly see,
as if she was going blind.

Her bones hurt,
and her joints ached;
her hair was white
and her hands quaked.

She climbed into bed
and fell into mourning.
For all naughty children,
let this be a warning.

@Home Studio – 305^th poem of the year

Runner ups for the Little Old Girl photos to accompany my poem: