Carmine

A filthy urchin in the endless wood
A glint of mischief - underneath her hood
Lurks wild and hungry beast beneath the trees
Prepares to make himself misunderstood

The crimson-cloaked gamine no danger sees
So wavers from her path to sweet Granny’s
To pause and pluck some flowers in the glade
And play among the humming of the bees

And while our heroine is thus delayed
The wicked beast continues through the shade
To slink in through poor Granny’s cottage door
And swallow whole the unprepared old maid

At last replete with flowers by the score
The snub-nosed minx moves rapidly toward
Her granny’s house, with supper on her arm
Not knowing what new horrors were in store

She entered granny’s home without alarm
And brought to bear all of her childish charm
“Why Granny! See I’ve brought you such delight -
And bread and pudding fresh-made on the farm.”

The wolf in woman’s guise held back his bite
And cooed to see the flowers bold and bright
Until the little rascal’s piercing eyes
Detected something strange - that wasn’t right

With cunning questions aimed at the disguise
Our rapscallion unburied all the lies
Which left the beast with only one defense:
Devouring her whole with just one bite

Now stunned, the mischief waited in suspense
And huddled with her granny, pale and tense
Until a passing hunter found the beast
And with a mighty blow dispatched it hence

Imagine then the wicked thing deceased
The hunter bent to dress it for a feast
And slitting down the belly found inside
A hellion and her granny: shock, at least!

The imp and the old woman now outside
The beast; the narrator asides:
This story ends, as all good stories should:
And happy ever after they’ll abide

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Format: Interlocking Rubaiyat
Prompt: NaPoMoFo Day 11