Poor Cinderella

Poor Cinderella, whose stepmom was mean,
could never see films rated PG-13.
She hadn't a cell phone and no DVD,
no notebook computer or pocket TV.
She wasn't allowed to play video games.
The tags on her clothes had unfashionable names.
Her shoes were not trendy enough to be cool.
No limousine chauffeur would drive her to school.
Her house had no drawing room; only a den.
Her bedtime, poor darling, was quarter past ten!

Well one day Prince Charming declared that a ball
would be held in his honor and maidens from all
over the kingdom were welcome to come
and party to techno and jungle house drum.

But Poor Cinderella, with nothing to wear,
collapsed in her stepmother's La-Z-Boy chair.
She let out a sigh, with a lump in her throat,
then sniffled and picked up the TV remote.
She surfed channel zero to channel one-ten
then went back to zero and started again.
She watched music videos, sitcoms and sports,
commercials and talkshows and weather reports.

But no fairy godmother came to her side
to offer a dress or a carriage to ride.
So Poor Cinderella's been sitting there since,
while one of her stepsisters married the Prince.
She sits there and sadly complains to the screen,
if only her stepmother wasn't so mean.

--Kenn Nesbitt

Copyright © 2002 Kenn Nesbitt
All Rights Reserved

Comments

	On May 13, 2008 Alli from US wrote: wow i used this poem and got 1st in state for a speech contest
	On May 11, 2008 Liz from USA wrote: I love this poem. I am using it for school for a show that we are doing. I feel bad for cinderella!!!
	On May 7, 2008 Jessi from Congo wrote: I used this poem for a reciting contest and got the 1st prize!!
	On May 7, 2008 khamila from london wrote: i luv thiz poem it waz so great i nedded it in skool and my teacher said it was great she even clled me a stae thankzzzzz xxxxxxxxxxxxx
	On May 6, 2008 Wuz from australia wrote: i was looking for a poem to present at school and i chose this its awesome rock on!!!! woooo

• View all 114 comments for this poem.
• Add a comment.

Use This Poem

Would you like to use this poem in your classroom? Would you like permission to reprint, record, recite or broadcast this poem, or set it to music? Please click on one of the following links for permissions and reprint rights information:

• Students
• Teachers
• Publishers, editors and anthologists