Goldilocks

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Shortly before *PoetryPlease launched their Villainous Villanelles Contest, the judges - of which I was one - were asked if we might be able to write an example villanelle ourselves. As much I wanted to write one, I couldn’t think of any good ideas. Oh well - better late than never! Of course, this has got nothing to do with the contest now - except to say that it gave me the inspiration to write up these ideas as a villanelle, rather than as anything else.

I came up with these ideas when reading a version of ‘The Three Bears’ which is surely very old, if not the original - but I’m afraid I can’t put a date on it. Anyway, the point is that in this version, the Three Bears are not a nuclear family, but rather they are three male bears who just happen to live together (although the Middle Bear is illustrated as wearing a bonnet, despite the use of masculine pronouns!). For me, it felt as though the girl* was putting herself in greater jeopardy than otherwise by invading the home of these untamed beasts, and I’m afraid I read something into them all being male (which means nothing really!). I suppose a mother bear with a baby to protect is a very dangerous thing - but still, all the versions of ‘The Three Bears’ I’ve read before have felt very domestic compared to this one.

*I say ‘the girl’ because in this version of the story, Goldilocks was called Silver-hair. That is very interesting. I also read a version of ‘Cinderella’ in the same edition, and an interesting thing about that was that her Fairy Godmother was just her godmother - coming for a visit, like she sometimes does - who happened to be a fairy!

Anyway, that’s enough comments. I very much hope you like my poem.