Once upon a time,

not all that long ago,

a baby grew in the belly of a young woman.

As she and her family struggled

To survive the Great Depression,

the child-to-be, inside,

observed through sound and movement,

the world he would soon enter.

He listened and learned

and even came to smile at the passing charade.

Those perilous times were a harrowing preview

of the more Great Recession.

And the parallels between both historic episodes

are sure to surprise you.

A fairy tale, or real? You decide.