Paint It Red! #TDWC

 

“Follow the yellow brick road,

Follow the..

wait!”

she exclaimed when she saw the door,

“I have a bad feeling-

we’ve been here before!”

“C’mooon, we hafta,”

wept the one with the tail

that he twisted so tightly

he made himself wail.

“But you want to go home,

don’t you my dear?”

the stuffy one

whispered into her ear.

“You know the script

and it all ends well.

You’ll be back before supper,

and isn’t that swell?”

She scrunched up her nose,

staunchly defiant.

“I am my own person!

I won’t be reliant

on the fool who blows smoke

or

the one who determines my fate

with the stroke

of black ink..

I think 

he drinks, 

you know.”

“I’ve got it!”

the metal man shouted,

“We’ll hide!”

“You won’t get inside,”

the cackle cried.

Now just lie down like a good little girl

and follow the script that determines

your world.

“No,”

she shouted,

“The end must be routed

to my satisfaction

and 

not the distraction

of sickly bright green

the deceptions between

the familiar lines

we repeat..

again

and again.

“Well, what should we do?”

asked the man in the rags.

“Do I return to the forest?”

wailed the beast whose fur sags.

“If I only had a heart..”

bemoaned the tin can,

“Then I would be such a 

compassionate man.”

(As it is I don’t see why you complain)

She dropped the basket and the furry mix

whose fault it had been she was in such a fix.

“I’m staying right here!”

she exclaimed as she plopped.

“He can’t do this! He must be stopped!”

“Don’t you want to go home?”

they all were confused.

“Can’t you see we’ve all been abused?”

She was indignant, what folly!

“Poppies..poppies..”

the crone cooed.

“Oh stop it!”

The girl pointed,

“You’re just being rude!”

She kicked off her slippers

(They’re ruby, you know)

and laid herself down

beneath the sun’s glow.

“I like poppies,”

she sighed, as the gang settled in,

“Just feel their beauty, let it all in.”

The wizard was waiting-

He’d practiced his lines,

the monkeys were preening,

awaiting their shines.

“What’s this!?”

cried the witch,

“What kind of switch

have you played?”

“Oh hush! And take them if you must,

I’ll get by without them, you make such a fuss!”

“Take them,”

she yawned, staring into the blue,

“And be gone before someone 

drops a house on you!”

Glinda frowned.

“Well isn’t that fine!”

She thumped her crown.

“She’s stolen my line!”

She sighed and sat down.

“Poppies, Glinda, just breathe them in,”

coaxed the girl wearing

a broad dreamy grin. 

“This is our story now, all is calm,

Isn’t that right, you old bastard, Baum?”

And as an aside she turned her head

“I really think we should paint the road red!”

Cheryl Pennington Copyright words

Photo by Janis of Retirementally Challenged

This post is part of Dan Antion’s #TDWC prompt

If you’d like to join the fun, follow the link to his page for the rules