“Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses” by Maithy Vu

Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses

Maithy Vu
red betta publications (2024)
ISBN:  978-0996382274
Reviewed by Jennifer Bisbing for Reader Views (05/2024)

Is “Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses” for those in the pursuit of being a princess, or is it a cautionary reimagining of the fairy tale misnomers and myths of being a princess?

I kissed a frog and never sought a prince again,

Maithy Vu writes.

Or both? We can’t leave out the power of courage and magic in those original tales, nor does Maithy Vu in this smart chapbook. Either way, it is an entertaining mental dance to identify which fable or fairy tale Vu is referencing. She cleverly does not title them but uses Roman numerals instead.

What is clear is Vu’s effort to make sense of how these tales, once read to her as a child, have informed and shaped womanhood for herself and perhaps for others across the globe. Some of the original tales, which have been glorified, some for centuries, idealize misogynistic dynamics. Then repeatedly read at bedtime… What are the effects? Through Vu’s poetic examination, readers see some of the effects. In many cases, they have influenced our ideas to our own detriment, and as Vu points out,

The tales I consumed became tools for the knots I spent restless nights unraveling.

Her words have transformed stories once held dear into tools for navigating the challenges of being a woman with life’s unforeseeable complications that can’t be simplified in a fable.

Chapbooks are all about sticking to a theme, and this collection takes it further by staying within the framework of fairy tale motifs as they relate to women. Each poem stands alone and is written in a variety of poetic forms. Without a doubt, your childhood nostalgia will be triggered, but not as you might expect. Like with this great metaphor: “‘What big thighs you have.’”

You don’t need to love fairy tales to love these witty poems—just be a fan of a play on words. The collection could be a bit more raw, or the themes deconstructed further, but as Vu mentions, it is also a collection to help her readers sleep instead of tossing and turning about over personal demons reimagined from long-ago bedtime stories.