Little Red Riding Hood

By Lahari Shetty

She set out for her Grandma's home

A well-trodden path that was all too familiar

Her mother said she was to speak to none

Of the animals in the woods, she was to stay clear

As she walked in the woods, the wolf followed

He had been doing this for some time now

Looking out for her at the edge of the forest

The red riding hood walking under the bough

There was a rustle, she stopped and looked

Her eyes catching the wolf's guarded stare

She cried out for help and they magically appeared

Attacking and wounding the wolf, a fearless pair

Relieved, she turned to say thanks

Only to see the lust in the men's eyes

Trapped, there was no way to escape the two

And no one in those woods to hear her cries

As she lay mutilated, violated on the grass

Her red cloak soaked in blood and tattered

The wolf crept close with tears in the eyes

And let out a howl on seeing her so battered

"All I was trying to do was protect you,

Child It was not me that you needed to fear

There are beasts prowling disguised as people

Why beware of us when Man is here?

By Lahari Shetty