Feb
15
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February Blogging Challenge: Modern Fairy Tales
This month’s challenge stumped me. I’m not one for fairy tales. Indeed when it comes to the faerie folk, I’m with Captain Hook. They’re not all nice and fluffy. Some of them are downright evil.
So I put my thinking cap on and remembered a challenge I’d set a group of kids years ago. Re writing the poem: “When I am old I shall wear purple”.
There were some brilliant responses. My favourites included: reciting Shakespeare just to annoy kids when they are at the bus stop; forgetting my purse so that I have to unload the conveyor belt; and the obligatory farting on the bus. (This was from a lad who could fart at the mere sight of a bean.)
But although these all stood out, the one that I find myself drawn to -and still able to quote all these years later- was:
When I am old I will wear clashing socks, and have races with my friends in my granny scooter.
And I will clip all the heels of the policeman as I race by.
And they won’t be able to arrest me because I will say sorry, and my false teeth will fall out and ruin the shine on their shoes.
More than a Cat 
Fairy tales certainly feature some rather nasty characters, including hero or heroine. Look at Jack being totally stupid, then murderous, and getting a Happily Ever After out of it all.
I prefer to combine the fairy story with the ‘When I am Old’ theme. I will knock a policeman’s headgear off, and then outrun him.