Michael Dann 
The Lazy Duchess (a short story) 

Once upon a time, there lived a duchess.
She was very lazy, I must confess.
She slept in bed for hours on end.
She loved her sleep; she didn’t pretend.
Every day it was the same;
she huffed a sigh when morning came.
“I need more sleep, ” the duchess whined,
as her mother opened a blind.
“Stop being lazy, ” her mother said.
“It’s time for you to get out of bed.”
The duchess sighed and began to groan.
She wished her mother would leave her alone.
She made a scowl; she was so upset.
She was not ready to get up yet.
“Come on, get up, ” her mother said.
“It’s time for you to get out of bed.”
The duchess did as she was told.
She knew her mother’s anger would unfold …

This rhyming cautionary tale looks at the pitfalls of laziness. It is approximately 1, 000 words.