The frog, the princess and the pea

Once upon a time there was a princely frog

Who was in a perilous state of brain fog

He wished he could get rid of his depression

So he could tell again his princess his devotion

But day after day, night after night,

The frog could not let go of his plight

He knew he could not make her happy

Because he had become a sick froggy

“Doesn’t she know the tale of the amphibian

That turns into a beautiful charming human?

I know I have lost my cheerful physical presence

But a kiss would restore some of my lively essence!”

He would say to himself, persuaded

That his hopes had not all faded

“If she lovingly agrees to kiss me one more time,

I know I would magically abandon my slime!”

The little frog believed in a miraculous solution

But had no idea how to transform his desperation.

The princess was well aware of the prince’s croaking state

And faithful as she was, she kept wishing for a better fate

Worried and agitated, she would not sleep well at night

It was as if every dream of hers would turn into a fight

A fiery dragon would stop her from getting out of a tower

And she was left, unassisted by a suitor, to repel its fire

She would wake up every morning tired, with a frown

And the vivid recollection of eternally falling down

One dawn, she blamed her terrible nightmares on her mattress

“It’s not comfortable!” she said as she was putting on her dress

“I can feel a small bump when I sleep, like a pea,

What I need is more mattresses under me!”

And so layers of mattresses were laid

But to no avail, she would wake up afraid

And sore from a pea that would disturb her

And make her nights tighter and heavier

The princess did not believe in a miraculous solution

But had no idea how to transform her desperation.

The little frog could not speak but could see and hear

“I shall not leave my princess without sleep and fear

There is no way I can stay here doing nothing

This pea is a sign that tells me I can still do something!”

And so the little frog plucked up his heroism if he had any

And proceeded to rescue his princess from the pea, tiny thingy

“Whether I die or not in this dangerous expedition,

I want it to be a selfless act of love, my dedication!”

He hopped under the first mattress and could not see

Anything as remotely small as a little pea

He jumped down to the second mattress and did an inspection

But there was nothing out of the ordinary that drew his attention

The further down he went, the harder his adventure became

“I don’t know what I’m doing here, they’re all the same!”

Still he persevered, his poor legs bending more than ever

Under the weight of all the princess’ mattresses together

He finally reached the last layer, completely legless

When he noticed a small round object at the end of the mattress

He doubled his efforts, scrambled his way with extreme difficulty

And at long last, exhausted but excited, saw the coveted thingy

What a surprise! It was not a little pea but a tiny rolled piece of paper

“I don’t understand, I thought she said it was a pea that bothered her!”

In one last agonising effort, the little frog gathered his courage

And pulled out from under the mattresses the intriguing message

He sat on the edge, nervous, anxious, and started out reading:

“You have now realised love is both a sacrifice and blessing

Even when it is hard to love for whatever reason

Keep trying and you’ll discover it’s more than a season,

It’s for eternity

My little froggy”

The princess who was closely watching the scene gently

Picked up her puzzled little frog and kissed him passionately

He immediately transformed into the prince he used to be

And he instantly felt he was regaining his former glee.

She said: “There never was a pea, I made up that story

Because I believe love can conquer all evils, silly froggy.”