Poem: "The Curse of Titania's Table"
This poem came out of the December 6, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from janetmiles. It has been sponsored by laffingkat as part of the 2012 Holiday Poetry Sale.
The Curse of Titania's Table
Long ago, human travelers were warned
to stay away from the Fair Folk,
not to enter their territory,
not to eat or drink from their table --
for the foods of faerie
were exquisite to the eye,
delicious beyond compare,
yet not nourishing at all.
One could eat and drink to bursting
and never feel full, waste away
in the face of a feast while
the Fair Folk looked on, sniggering.
The humans grew numerous
and arrogant, taking over
the places once held
by the Hollow Hills.
The Fair Folk did not go to war,
for that was not their way.
Instead they slipped into kitchens
and ... whispered.
Dishes began to emerge
with bright colors and potent smells,
driving the diners into a frenzy of appetite
yet somehow leaving them craving more.
There was cheez whiz in thick neon orange,
jiggling cubes of blue jello,
artificial pasteurized processed chocolate food product
and the bubbly brown poison of Pepsi.
Gradually the humans grew too fat to move
and they stayed on their couches,
nevermore to bother the Fair Folk
dancing in their distant forest glens.