Each year, author Vivian Kirkfield hosts a delightful contest for #kidlit writers. The #50PreciousWords 2022 Contest challenges us to write a story – with beginning, middle, and end — in 50 words or less. Vivian channels esteemed author Jane Yolen with the encouragement to “Find Joy!”
Here is my most joyful entry for #50PreciousWords 2022:
Mary Devine’s Magical Purse
by Patricia J. Franz
Mary Devine’s magical purse
was covered in roses, filled with verse.
Suitors sighed. Peddlers pined.
The king and queen wheedled and whined
for the secrets inside
of Mary Devine’s magical purse.
Mary Devine lived a long time.
When she died at ninety-nine,
the headlines read:
No Sign of Magical Purse!
©2022 Patricia J. Franz
Patricia Franz is a kidlit writer and published poet. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
How delightful!! Thanks for the smile today (sorely needed).
Thanks! Did a double=post with #PoetryFriday and #50PreciousWords 🙂
This just makes me happy! And I want that purse — of course! 😆
Me, too! Thanks, Donna!
How wonderful! Oh, I love this magical purse and the whimsy it brings to my Poetry Friday. Mary Devine is such a great character name. LOVE every word of this.
Thanks, Linda! She is a spitfire, for sure! 🙂