On her way to Grandma's with a basket of goodies,
Through the woods she went wearing a bright red hoodie.
On the way she stopped to smell the beautiful wild flowers,
A wolf greedily spied on her, oblivious of her powers.
She sensed something was wrong and found the wolf was following,
Perhaps he wanted to gobble all the goodies she was carrying.
With her knowledge of plants she knew what to do,
To teach the wolf a lesson she plucked a toxic brew.
She hid behind a bush and spiked a cake with nightshade,
And left it to lure the wolf, on the path near the glade.
The wolf in an impulse of wolfish greed, gobbled up the cake,
Feeling dizzy soon, he was too late to realise his mistake.
Red Riding Hood, having cleared her way,
Went happily singing, to her grandma's place.
Grandma felt so proud of her granddaughter's wit and knowledge,
She praised her wise act and cooked her some porridge.
They feasted and celebrated, thinking the danger was surpassed,
Red Riding Hood's witty act, was a lesson that would last.
But this tale traveled through the forest on the wings of breeze,
News of the "poisoned cake" rustled through the trees.
The other woodland creatures, scared and quite distraught,
Feared Red, the little girl, with such a cunning thought.
Red, heartbroken by the misunderstanding's sting,
Vowed to show them kindness, a different message to bring.
She gathered herbs and berries, with the knowledge she possessed,
Made healing teas and remedies, putting worries to rest.
The wolf, recovered by her potions, was now ashamed of his greed,
He asked Red for forgiveness, which she readily gave indeed.
Soon, the forest was abuzz with new whispers of delight,
Red Riding Hood, the healer, was the woodland's hope and light.
The lesson learned wasn't just for the wolf that day,
But for all the creatures, on the woodland's leafy way.
Her healing and forgiveness forged a bond with trust renewed,
Red Riding Hood, the woodland's friend was hailed for years, it's true.
Jyoti Prateek is the editor of The Inner Path Magazine, an e-magazine dedicated to spiritual growth. She has authored five solo volumes of poetry and a book of short stories. Her poetry often reflects her meditational insights and encompasses themes of profound and everyday wisdom with simplicity. Her works have been published in reputed publications like The Awakening Times magazine, The Inner Path, ALSphere magazine by the Asian Literary Society and Stencils by Pen Wonders International, to name a few.
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