GEORGINA STRIFE AND THE POISON APPLE

THIS IS THE TALE OF GEORGINA STRIFE

WHO LONGED TO LIVE A QUIET LIFE

NOT FOR HER SOME ENDLESS CHATTER

ON MOBILE PHONES, WHICH DID NOT MATTER

OR CONVERSATIONS ACROSS THE NET

WITH ONLINE ‘FRIENDS’ SHE’D NEVER MET

NO, GEORGINA MUCH PREFERRED A WALK

THAN SIT ABOUT AND IDLY TALK

THE TROUBLE WAS AT NEARLY TEN

PEER PRESSURE NOW DICTATED WHEN

YOUNG GIRLS SHOULD TEXT AND BE ONLINE

THEIR GAZE FIXED DOWNWARDS ALL THE TIME

AND THOUGH GEORGINA DID NOT CARE

TO BE CONTACTED EVERYWHERE

HER EVIL STEP-MUM, HARRIET STRIFE

DECIDED SHE SHOULD CHANGE HER LIFE

CHANGE THIS HAPPY, CAREFREE CHILD

WHO LOVED TO WANDER IN THE WILD

INTO SOME PALE, RECLUSIVE CLONE

WHO LIVED HER LIFE ON A MOBILE PHONE

BLANKLY STARING AT A SCREEN

A CHILD NOT HEARD AND RARELY SEEN

AND SO IT WAS ON JULY THE FIRST

GEORGINA’S LIFE WAS DULY CURSED

WHEN HER WICKED STEP-MUM DID BEGIN

TO SPOIL THE LIFE OF OUR HEROINE

‘GEORGINA’ SHE SAID AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE

‘I’M VERY CONCERNED YOU’RE NOT WI-FI ENABLED.

AND MORE THAN JUST A LITTLE PERPLEXED

THAT YOU’VE NEVER EVER SENT A TEXT,

OR DOWNLOADED APS OR FACEBOOKED FRIENDS

OR WASTED DAYS OF YOUR LIFE ON TWITTERING TRENDS.

ARE YOU NOT WORRIED THAT AS YOU GROW OLD

YOU’LL BE THE ONLY GIRL LEFT WHO’S NEVER BEEN TROLLED?’

WELL, GEORGINA SMILED, SHE SMILED A LOT

SHE DIDN’T KNOW HER STEP-MUM’S PLOT

‘NO NEED TO WORRY.’ SHE HAPPILY SAID

‘I JUST PREFER TO WALK INSTEAD.

I LOVE THE AIR, THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS

THE FEEL OF GRASS UPON THE GROUND.

I KNOW THAT MOBILES HAVE THEIR PLACE

I JUST DON’T THINK IT’S NEAR MY FACE.’

WELL AT THIS HER STEP-MUM’S FACE TURNED RED

‘I REALLY MUST INSIST’ SHE SAID

‘EXERCISE IS NOT FOR YOU

IT’S NOT WHAT KIDS ARE MEANT TO DO

WANDERING ABOUT WITHOUT A CARE

BREATHING IN THAT COUNTRY AIR

IT CAN’T BE GOOD, IT WILL NOT DO

WHICH IS WHY I HAVE A GIFT FOR YOU

SO WITH EVIL THOUGHT AND HORRIBLE SMIRK

KNOWING HOW HER PLAN WOULD WORK

HER STEP-MUM, FROM BEHIND HER BACK

PRODUCED A PRESENT WRAPPED IN BLACK

WITH A BIG PINK BOW AND TINY LABEL

SHE PLACED IT ON THE BREAKFAST TABLE.

‘GEORGINA, DEAR,’ SHE CREEPILY SAID

HER TWISTED MOUTH ALL CRIMSON RED

‘THIS IS FOR YOU, I WON’T SPOIL THE FUN

BUT LETS JUST SAY IT’S NOT SAMSUNG.’

AND AS HER STEP-MUM BEGAN TO CLAP,

GEORGINA DID THE BOX UNWRAP

UNTIL, TO LITTLE OR NO SURPRISE

THERE SAT AN ‘APPLE’ BEFORE HER EYES

‘GO ON DEAR,’ HER STEP-MUM SAID

PUSHING THE PHONE TO GEORGIE’S HEAD.

‘MAKE A CALL, TEXT A FRIEND

CREATE MAIL AND JUST PRESS SEND

DOWNLOAD AN AP, PLAY SOME GAMES

FACEBOOK FRIENDS AND CALL THEM NAMES.

THE WORLD’S YOUR OYSTER, STAY IN, EXPLORE

THERE’S NOT EVEN A NEED TO GO OUT THE DOOR

SIT IN YOUR ROOM, BATHE NOW AND THEN

I’LL DELIVER YOUR MEALS, JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN.’

THUS WITH THAT ‘APPLE’ THE DIE WAS CAST

AS POOR GEORGINA LEARNT SO FAST

TO TEXT AND SURF AND IDLY TALK

FORGETTING HOW SHE LOVED TO WALK

UNTIL, THAT IS, ONE WINTERS NIGHT

WHEN A BIDDER FROM AN AUCTION SITE

KNOCKED AND SAID ‘HELLO, I’M SID,

AND I’VE JUST MADE THE WINNING BID

SO I’VE DRIVEN DOWN FROM DAVENPORT

TO COLLECT THE CLEANER THAT I’VE BOUGHT

WELL GEORGIE’S STEP-MUM SHOOK HER HEAD

SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT HAD BEEN SAID

SHE DIDN’T KNOW THAT SID WAS THRIFTY

AND SHE’D BEEN BOUGHT FOR TEN POUND FIFTY

SOLD ONLINE BY HER OWN STEP-DAUGHTER

TO SPEND HER LIFE KNEE-DEEP IN WATER

WORKING NOW FOR SIDNEY DEWERS

CLEANER OF THE COUNTRY’S SEWERS

AND THOUGH HER STEP-MUM BEGAN TO BEG

SIDNEY DEWERS STILL GRABBED A LEG

AND WITH THE MOST POLITEST COUGH

SCOOPED HER UP AND CARRIED HER OFF

AND THAT’S THE TALE OF GEORGINA STRIFE

WHOSE STEP-MUM TRIED TO CHANGE HER LIFE

TRIED TO MAKE HER LIVE ONLINE

AND WAS DULY SOLD FOR MORE AIR-TIME

THE END

By Paul White