Modern Mother Goose II

Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard
Her doggy, from hunger, near prone
She was no bluffer, that Banker would suffer
For refusing her loan for a bone,
Humpty-Dumpty subpoenaed them all
For “malice aforethought”
They should have known that he would fall
And the destruction it had wrought,
Rumpelstiltskin had a cause
From “corpus delicti” he’d not budge
Nor tell how flax was spun to gold
Unless ordered by a judge,
The owner had an affidavit
“This goose lays golden eggs!”
In his disposition to the court
“This arraignment has no legs!”
By privacy – one cannot name
The long-haired Lady of the tower
It’s “sub judice” – before the Court
“Let your hair hang down!” – turned sour,
Goldilocks – herself so smart
With Baby Bear had a pact
Mama and Papa – “flagranta delicto”
Had … caught them in the very act!
Snowwhite – was oh so bright
And well understood “consent”
The Seven Dwarfs were duly charged
For “mens rea” – criminal intent,
Jack, it seems, of beanstalk fame
Indicted – feared the worst
Hansel and Gretel suing him
Seems – their movie came out first,
Unless “habeas corpus” can be shown
“Due diligence” prevails
And Modern Mother Goose is cooked
In these neorealist fairy-tales!

D.C. Butterfield