A Strife of Six Princes
Once upon a poem, in six kingdoms, far away,
There lived a prince in each one, at his side, a princess.
Then quite a curious thing happened one day,
The six princes met the others to see whose girl was the best.
Prince Phillip:
My ears caught the sound through the buzzing of the bees,
Drifting through the leaves, silently guiding the breeze.
The voice of a woman, charming and free,
Soft as the grasses, bold as the trees.
My eyes fell upon her golden wreathe,
There, in the midst of forests green.
Her earthy drapes were of a servant, it seemed,
But her delicate smile was fit for a queen.
She hid from me, though I returned her song,
I glimpsed not but an eye, among shadows all day long.
I wanted to pull away the curtains, ask the maiden what was wrong,
And invite her into my arms, where she truly belonged.
She was stolen from her life by jealousy and greed,
But I chased after my dear lady on my gallant steed.
My love was not so blinded by the thorns that cut me deep,
I killed the witch, then kissed her lips, oh, once upon a dream!
Prince Eric:
Her song was the first sound I heard,
Before the rush of the sea or the call of the birds.
The brush of her fiery locks was the first touch I felt,
Before the sand, before the wind, before the heated sunbelt.
Slowly, softly, I opened my eyes,
At first, I saw nothing but the clear blue skies.
Then, all of a sudden, she came into view,
Still singing, two bright circles of a beautiful hue.
I wanted to ask who she was and where from,
But she was gone with a splash, leaving me in the sun.
For days and days, I tried hard to find,
A face to the voice that was etched in my mind.
Then one fair day, she swam back into my life,
Couldn’t speak, couldn’t sing, and it cut me like a knife.
It turns out a sea witch had sent her from the depths,
But I found out soon enough she only wanted me to herself.
We fought the fury together, and conjured up a storm,
But I wasn’t going to leave her, not there in the cruel swarm.
Once the evil was vanquished, I married my mermaid girl,
At last I am now a part of her world.
The Beast:
Oh, my darling surely surpasses all!
A young maiden so fine you shall not find
Near or far no matter where you travel.
My soul is fluxed when I say she’s all mine!
In a small, quaint town in old France she lived.
But a provincial life she did not want.
One vain and wicked hunter had her peeved,
So she and dad found refuge in my haunt.
‘Twas I a bitter, angry, savage soul,
Cursed until I found my one true lover.
She saved her pop and stayed in my control.
More than just my secrets she’d uncover.
But this is not the end of this true story,
Stay behind to hear of Belle’s famed glory.
Her father went back to town alone.
No one believed a word that he had said.
Meanwhile, Belle and I—too close we’d grown.
Gaston found out and vowed to shoot me dead.
He came with stooges in the dark of night.
With burning torch in hand, he sought my form.
We leapt from fort to fort to reach new heights.
Still I was injured in the raging storm.
But Belle returned and shielded me from harm.
She saved me from the wrath of Gaston’s clan.
He fell from high and was at last disarmed.
She kissed my lips and changed me to a man.
We celebrated with a ball and feast.
And that’s the tale of Beauty and the Beast.
Prince Aladdin:
I once met an enchanting girl.
Her eyes sparkled like stars in the sky.
We have shared a whole new world.
She was trapped inside walls of pearls.
She escaped without a single goodbye.
I once met an enchanting girl.
In the middle of the market, we ran into each other.
I learned she was the princess, so sweet and shy.
We have shared a whole new world.
I asked for one night out with her.
A genie turned me into a prince who could fly.
I once met an enchanting girl.
The king’s evil advisor had plans which unfurled.
I seized him in a bottle and wiped her eyes dry.
We have shared a whole new world.
I still love her laughter, I still love her curls.
I will always adore her smiles and her sighs.
I once met an enchanting girl.
We have shared a whole new world.
General Shang:
A girl in China
Joined the war for her father
Did not turn back once
She came to my camp
Acted like a man for months
But secrets unlocked
She had us all fooled
So I left her in the snow
Forgot she’d saved us
The pack moved along
We reached the emperor’s throne
Handed him the sword
But the Huns still came
Followed us from the mountains
Still Mulan fought them
Shan Yu was destroyed
She freed the entire kingdom
And I was in love
Then she returned home
Gave her father the medal
She won from the king
I also went there
And asked her to marry me
She gladly agreed
Prince Eugene:
There once was a girl in a tower,
Who lived under her evil mother’s power.
She painted the walls,
Slept under waterfalls,
I wondered if she’d ever showered!
One day I stopped in for a few,
But she thought I was breaking right through.
I climbed into her room,
She hit my head with a broom,
And hid my satchel out of my view!
I promised to take her to the lights,
We passed forests and lakes and city sights.
Her hair was aflame,
I told her my name,
And we sailed on into the night!
We found she was the child of the King and Queen,
But Mother Gothel wanted to come in between.
We ended her malice,
Wedded right in the palace,
It was truly a wondrous scene!
Then they all simply went without a care,
Bid farewells and didn’t look back the whole way home.
Four on horses, one across the sea, the last through the air,
And that’s all that happened once upon a poem.