The Wicked Queen (a short story‪)‬

Once upon a time, there lived a queen.
To the people, she was very mean.
Queen Mary had a wicked streak.
She caused them pain every week.
She loved to see them suffer
so she made their lives tougher.
She spent her time thinking of ways
to add more misery to their days.
She imposed sanctions on the poor.
She thought they should be punished more.
Some of them struggled to buy food to eat.
They relied on the food bank on the street.
The elderly and sick were sent away
from hospital beds every single day.
Some of them lived and some of them died.
Queen Mary smirked while their families cried.
She never felt regret or shame.
To her, it was all a game ...

This rhyming cautionary tale looks at the pitfalls of malice. It is approximately 750 words.