The Princess Who Lost Her Smile

                                                         THE PRINCESS WHO'D LOST HER SMILE

In a land so many years ago

In a country far away

Is a tale about a Princess

That is still retold today

Ever since she was a baby

Her mouth it wouldn't move

No matter how hard they pleaded

Her smile would not improve

Despite their greatest efforts

No one could make her smile

In the end everyone gave up

It just wasn't worth their while

The King became so worried

She'd never meet her prince

The one's who'd tried to woo her

had never been heard of since

He send out a message

To Kingdoms far away

Of her hand in marriage

To make her smile in just one day

Days went by, weeks did too

Until the suitors did start to come

To try and change the Princess's face

To stop her looking glum

One by one and day followed night

They tripped and played the fool

But no one could make her smile

Her condition was so cruel

Then there came a beggar man

Unaware of what lay ahead

He wasn't looking for the Princess

Just a place to rest his head

He walked up to the palace gates

Was halted by a guard

Who took pity upon him

And lead him to the yard

Another guard came to meet him

Looked him up and down

Because of his ragged clothes

He mistook him for a clown

He took him a lavish room

Said they'd collect him in the morning

When he lay on the massive bed

He just couldn't stop yawning

In the middle of the night he was awoken

By a scratching at his door

He opened it and then looked down

Saw a sparrow on the floor

He picked it and looked so close

At it's broken wing

It must have been in a fight

With a cat belonging to the King

Carefully he scooped it up

Clutched it to his chest

He could feel the pounding heart

Of his unexpected guest

In the morning a guard did awake him

Led him to the Princess's quaters

To try and do what had not been done

By the other courters

The Princess she looked puzzled

As the beggar was left inside

Could he be the final answer

To make her smile so wide

The beggar looked dumbfounded

He knew nothing of the quest

But something caught her eye

The movement by his chest

She watched in awe and wonder

As he moved across the floor

Picked up a tiny piece of cheese

From a table by the door

Between his fingers he did crumble

Till it was reduced to specks

He then removed the sparrow

To entice to take tiny pecks

The Princess she came closer

She watched the poor bird feast

Slowly she held out her hand

So she could feed the beast

The beggar passed the bird across

Till in her palm it did sit

And then something happened

Her mouth it moved a bit

But then she saw it's broken wing

The smile it went away

The watching guard though he'd imagined it 

As the smile it didn't stay

Soon his time was over

To them she hadn't smiled

To take him back to his poor life

That was so meek and mild

The Princess she did stop him

Asked if he could stay some more

So he was returned to the room

And the guard he closed the door

Everyday the bird grew stronger

Until it finally gave it's wing a try

They both watched so happy

As the sparrow it did fly

The Princess's mouth began to smile

At the fixing of it wing

The watching guard excited

Ran off to tell the KIng

But the King he wasn't happy

Despite what he had done

His daughter was too good for the beggar

He would never be his son

The Princess she wasn't happy

At her fathers words

He'd done what no one else had done

While caring for the birds

She took a hold of the beggar

The top of his head she did kiss

There came a flash and cloud of smoke

All his rags he did dismiss

A handsome man took his place

The curse it had been lifted

The beggar man no longer there

Her Prince she had been gifted