A little girl stood by the path
Her heart out on a platter
Many people walked on by
And none of them saw her
By and by a wolf came past
And took a little nibble
Away back to his house of glass
He ran to chew on kibble
And then a kindly granny came
And gave a gentle pat
On her heart and on her head
As if she were a cat
Soon after came a bearded huntsman
Armed with axe and bow
He did not want that heart of hers
But took the plate and go
Holding now her heart in hand
Holed and flattened so
She wondered how and what to do
Wherever could she go
Lo and behold, a little man
Appeared on the horizon
From his pocket an ace of hearts
With which her heart he bought
Exchange made and prices paid
On his way he went
Leaving just the little girl
Paper heart in hand
then down flew a raven bird
Cawing all the while
“What a foolish trade you’ve made!”
As he pecked and pierced the paper tile
The raven was then chased away
By an old man with a cart
“That looks like you’d need it no more,
A relic to discard.”
The girl gave a tiny shake
Of her head and turned
And trudged back home, a day well spent
with something for to wait and yearn
And tomorrow again she’ll go
And stand by the path
A paper heart set on a platter
Was surely still an art