(119) Little Red Riding Hood (An Old Story Retold) Poem by Risha Ahmed (12 yrs)

Once upon a time in the middle of a wood
Lived a little girl known as little red riding hood
One day her mother sent her to her grandma’s with a basket of food
Who’s state at the moment didn’t seem very good
She told red riding hood not to stop on the way to the farm
And that if she paid heed to these words, she will come to no harm
Red riding hood promised that on the way she wouldn’t stop
And reach her grandma’s fast with a skip and a hop
But when she started looking at the plants and the birds
She soon enough forgot her mother’s words
On the way a bush of big ripe strawberries saw red riding hood
She bent down and popped some into her mouth and exclaimed that they were so good
suddenly she remembered grandma and the basket and got back on her way
she just couldn’t stand there and waste her whole day
as the woods grew thicker she saw some daisies white
she plucked a few for grandma to make her day bright
suddenly she heard the sound of a gruff voice which said,
“where are you going little girl with the basket, flowers and hood so red”
red riding hood replied, “I am taking my grandma some cakes”
she was so scared that her whole body shakes
the big bad wolf asked, “Does grandma live on her own? ”
“Oh yes”, replied red riding hood. “She lives quite alone”
The wolf said farewell in a voice so cruel and wild
And thought, ‘I will gobble the grandma first and lie in wait for the child’
At last the cottage came in sight and the wolf rapped on the door
The door was ajar so he saw the grandma in bed with a carpet on the floor
In one bound he swallowed the old lady
And wore her spectacles and bonnet and got into bed, ready
Soon after, little red riding hood tapped on the door
And said, “Grandma can I come in or do you want to rest some more? ”
Imitating grandma’s quivering voce the wolf said, ” Come in”
And kept a tin ready to offer red riding hood biscuits from the tin
“What a deep voice you have”, the little girl said
“The better to greet you with”, the wolf said
“What a big mouth you have”, said red riding hood in surprise
“The better to eat you with”, the wolf said and swallowed her in a trice
He felt satisfied and gave a grunt deep
Then with a fat full tummy, he fell fast asleep
Meanwhile, a passing by hunter saw the wolf in grandma’s bed
“The wolf! It won’t get away this time”, he said and shot a bullet through its head
He cut open the wolf’s stomach and out came red riding hood and grandma unharmed
As the hunter wasn’t expecting this he was quite alarmed
They thanked him and gave one last look at the hound
And little red riding hood reached her cottage safe and sound