Poem: "Prezzemolina"
This poem came out of the May 3, 2011 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a prompt from eseme and sponsored by marina_bonomi. A search for "Italian folk tales" turned up the story of Prezzemolina, a variation of Rapunzel. Of course, adding Fiorenza to the mix entails some creative problem-solving! This poem is a terza rima, a flexible Italian form with any number of interlocking triads concluded by a couplet. You can read the other poems about Fiorenza on the "Serial Poetry" page of my website.
Prezzemolina
When Annalisa's belly grew full round,
She craved the prezzemolo sweet and green,
So tore it from the fairies' sacred ground.
She bore a daughter fair as had been seen,
With rosebud lips and silky raven curls,
But word was taken to the fairy queen.
Two fate came in gowns of satin swirls
To hound fair Annalisa for her crime
And claim for their lost crop this best of girls.
Then Annalisa ran through fields of thyme
To ask the herbalist what she should do,
So Fiorenza sighed, and made the climb.
She gave the fate parsley bales and rue,
With starts of fine French lavender and dill,
And baskets full of bread and pastries too.
The fate all sat down and ate their fill,
Then carried off the plants and went their way,
Agreeing that the payment fit the bill.
"Next time, come to my garden, if you may,"
said Fiorenza, "for there's less to pay!"