In a mix of rhymes, assonance, and chants, “A Whispering Voice,” by Elizabeth Creith is a prose poem about what Goldilocks did after she escaped the three bears. The first line dares you to keep reading, especially out loud.
Goldilocks stalks the forest walks in ragged socks, regretting the courage that made her so bold as to pillage the cottage of porridge, too hot or too cold.
Although it fills your head with all sorts of strange sounds, actually reading it out loud is even stranger. In part you want to keep going in the rocky rhythms it establishes, and in part you’re relieved it doesn’t. The story itself plays with “Into The Woods“-style cross-currents with other fairy tales, in particular “The Goose Girl“. And after it’s done playing, that first line keeps sticking in my head.
Goldilocks stalks the forest walks in ragged socks…
Weirdest earworm ever.
Writing Every Day 
Pam, thank you! Nothing of mine has ever been called an earworm before, and I’m really, really pleased that it worked that way for you!
I recited this one at an open mike night and it went over well. I want to do more of these.
Thanks again for your kind words.
Elizabeth
http://ecreith.wordpress.com
Open mike sounds like just the thing for this story. I hope to hear it someday.