"Once Upon A Time," She Said

by Jane Yolen

"Once upon a time," she said,

and the world began anew:

a vee of geese flew by,

plums roasting in their breasts;

a vacant-eyed princess

sat upon a hillock of glass;

a hut strolled through a tangled wood,

the nails on its chickenfeet

blackened and hard as coal;

a horse's head proclaimed advice

from the impost of an arch;

one maiden spoke in toads,

another in pearls,

and a third with the nightingale's voice.

If you ask me,

I would have to say

all the world's magic

comes directly from the mouth.

About the Author:
Jane Yolen is the award-wining author of over 150 books for children, adolescents, and adults. She has published fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and edited collections of folktales. For more information, visit her Endicott bio page.

Copyright © 1987 by Jane Yolen. The poem first appeared in The National Storytelling Journal, Winter 1987, and subsequently appeared in The Faery Flag, published by Orchard Books. It may not be reproduced in any form without the author’s express written permission.