Freda, the Flat-footed Fairy
I’m Freda, the flat-footed fairy,
My friends are the twinkle-toed lot —
They’re slippery as butter,
They flit and they flutter —
But look at these two feet I’ve got.
It’s hard on a flat-footed fairy,
When others are nimble and quick,
To have two clod hoppers
Which really are whoppers,
Good only for giving a kick.
My friends are all frightfully flighty,
They frolic and fly fancy-free,
They’re frothy and frilly
And frequently silly,
And not at all clumsy like me.
My feet, like the lids of a dustbin,
Are big and as flat as can be.
I can’t be a leader,
I’m just poor old Freda,
The flat-footed fairy, that’s me.
But wait! Things are not always awful,
And something that does make me laugh —
I can stamp on a walnut,
A big or a small nut,
And break it quite cleanly in half!
My friends are the twinkle-toed lot —
They’re slippery as butter,
They flit and they flutter —
But look at these two feet I’ve got.
It’s hard on a flat-footed fairy,
When others are nimble and quick,
To have two clod hoppers
Which really are whoppers,
Good only for giving a kick.
My friends are all frightfully flighty,
They frolic and fly fancy-free,
They’re frothy and frilly
And frequently silly,
And not at all clumsy like me.
My feet, like the lids of a dustbin,
Are big and as flat as can be.
I can’t be a leader,
I’m just poor old Freda,
The flat-footed fairy, that’s me.
But wait! Things are not always awful,
And something that does make me laugh —
I can stamp on a walnut,
A big or a small nut,
And break it quite cleanly in half!
This poem is copyright (©) Colin West 2024
About the Writer
Colin West
Colin lives in Battle, East Sussex. He studied Graphic Design and Illustration and has written and illustrated over 50 children’s books. His poems have appeared in anthologies by Roger McGough and Julia Donaldson. He now writes purely for his own pleasure and enjoys collecting old books, mainly of poetry.