Rapunzel statue in Old Market in Dresden
Rapunzel
There was a continual blather—
A family of squareheads, by the score.
No dear mother, only a drunken father:
It never rained but it would pour.
In the tumultuous household, no peace—
No appliances, no servants, no au pair.
The only time the racket would ever cease
Was when a daughter braided her hair.
It was a miracle on 42nd Street, like heaven.
The father watched silently as if in a spell,
As if he was a boy of six or seven
Listening to the tale of Rapunzel,
Imagining by means of long blond hair
How they could all escape the witch’s lair.
Robert Forrey, 2011
