Red Riding Hood (Action) Poem by Oleg Vorobyov

***
"My dear daughter, Riding Hood!
You'll walk to Granny through the wood
And take to her my love and cake.
But mind: your Granny's health at stake -
She needs attendance and good eye.
But keep on guard, you know why!
For brigand Wolf wayfarers jumps
If one into his ambush bumps"
Such premonitions Mother said
To Riding Hood of scarlet red.
And ammunition bade her take:
"These carry on for your life's sake! " -
The straps of rounds, fire-arms,
Grenades, stilettos, as blind chance
Might have her grapple Wolf perchance.
"So, farewell" And Mother arms
Threw round Hood and gave her kiss.
And set off Hood armed cap-a-pie.

***
And walked through wood, sang, picked some flowers
Red Riding Hood through sylvan bowers.
(Yet on the guard)She wouldn't be cowered
If she were jumped, for no coward
Hood was but of the gritty lot.
Wood alley led her on. Athwart
The path lay knobbly rugged log.
Hood stopped and thought: "What saucy rogue
Could've jammed the path? But if tis trap? "
No sooner guessed than came rap-rap
From range afar, and nearer swish!
Hood gasped for air like caught fish!
Behind the log she took refuge
Under the rain of bullets! Huge
And iron nerve one has to have
As Hood in such a soup behaved!
She dared out peek around:
There was Wolf behind a mound!

***
The Wolf was running machine-gun
Bent on destruction, no fun!
Hood still dumbfound with defeat
Rolled off the log and for retreat
Took some depression, on the edge
Of tangled copse, and in a stretch
She had her rifle fire back,
And came its automatic crack!
The bark, twigs, splinters crushed to pulp,
The tree-tops with the bared scalps,
The dancing sods, the butchered sward, -
All fire usurped! O, gracious Lord!
And in the rage of fusillade
Red Riding Hood flung a grenade!
Explosion threw the Wolf on back:
He groaned, crawled off changing tack.
(His machine-gun left in the mire:
Went dead for good the Deathly Crier!)

***
The Wolf behind a barricade
Of dry-wood spotted the brocade
Of the chapeau of reddish pale
And threw a Molotov cocktail!
It fell on dampish boggy soil
And psht! - some grass around broiled.
The bottle stuck some feet away
Where Riding Hood on leafage lay.
Then came a still: no party shot. -
Some minutes with the tenseness fraught…
(Of ammunition in default)
Divided by a pinewood holt,
Their red-blood eyes each other met.
Both sprang to feet. A growling threat
Was issuing from the hairy snout.
She hollered: "Die! " on foe's account
And rushed at him! He also rushed!
Hood jerked a knife: his flank was brushed!

***
Then came the paw and clawed Hood's neck!
She spun on spot. Her rage in check
She held for second, then threw kick:
The Wolf flew like a whirligig!
But back on feet, and on her throat
Clasped beefy paws the gruesome coat!
"Where are you bound, Riding Hood? ! " -
He roared at her, the eyes red-blood.
She croaked: "To my Grandma! Stop! "
And threw him off! Wolf down flopped.
They rolled apart. With gasping breath
They stared up regaining strength.
Then rose Hood and shambled on.
And in a while Wolf limped along
To overtake wench on the way,
For Granny foul scheme to lay!
And gathered speed knockout race:
Who will be first to reach the place?

***
Of course, the Wolf was first to make
Hood's Granny's hut. "I'll here slake
My bloody thirst! " - He said ascending
The porch. And he, by doorstep standing
Knocked twice. Shots' fiery discourse
Drew holes three - Grandma's response!
Wolf sure ducked. His club he led
Against the pane (He saw the red!)
And in he burst and dealt a blow
On Granny's head! Thus overthrown
Old lady reeled and sank on fours
By bedstead! What to do? He chose
To hide old woman in wardrobe.
Meantime some Granny's things he robed:
Cap on, drew on a blanket woolen
And hushed. But who he was befooling? -
No one but smartest Riding Hood
Who outside on doorstep stood!

***
Reverberating came knock-knock!
The Granny-Wolf felt little shock!
"Who's there? Child, remove the chain"
The girl was standing in doorframe.
She came up near, no fear.
The false Grandmother gave a leer.
"How are you? Regards from Mother!
I've lost the cake. Perhaps, another
I'll fetch on visit next weekend! "
"Oh, child, could you on me attend?
Come closer! Sit by me on stool" -
Said very amorously Wolf.
She sat and caught the hungry glare.
"You've got such eyes, so big and rare!
Why so? " - Hood a question tried.
"To see you better", - came reply.
"Big ears? " - Hood another plied.
"To hear you better", - came reply.

***
"And why such big and slashing teeth? "
He roared: "Child! To eat you with! "
And jumped at her with might lupine,
But missed: flung arm sent him supine!
And on the floor the girl him squared -
Pinned down Wolf could hardly dare
Shake just a limb! She cried: "Enough! "
And thrust grenade into his mouth!
(It was the last retrieved from grass)
And slid through window at once!
A burst! (Who could have seen the worse? !
Who thus dispatch a foe durst
But Riding Hood, of all Wolves Dread!)
Flew round tatters, slips and shreds!
And all was over. Just wet stain
Remained in place where Wolf had lain…
Half-choked Hood groped back to room
And saw her Granny: wooden womb
Of strong thick walls had warded off
Explosion's lethal shredding wrath! -
She came to senses at the sound
With bruise on head but mostly sound.
Then hunters came and took them home
To live as family with Mom.

THE END