I waved out, in that graceful manner
Of princesses,
At the multitude of subjects in the
Stranger streets;
Carefully stepping out of the brilliant,
Beguiling carriage;
The enchanted crystal palace rose
Above me, and
I, in my dazzling gown walked
Down the aisle.

At the altar, I reached: to find
No one there…
My world crashed in front of me.
The tiara shattered, into
A million pieces;
The leaves began to rot,
Weather, a cold frost…
But let me rewind, my
Key of thoughts: where did
It all begin?

Did I need, the glass slipper
Broken down by the weight of guilt?
In the country of fairy godmothers
And carriages born out of pumpkins….
The magic ended, by the way, at
The strike of twelve.

Did I need a poisoned apple, as
My color was white?
The glass coffin strewn with flowers,
The mourning in the forest, showers….
The kiss of ‘true’ love, the love at first sight
When… I was dead?
But my color was white, and he, my savior.

Did I need legs when I had a tail,
When I, was a mermaid?
Trade my voice for a love so innocent,
Who didn’t even recognize my earnest self.

Did I need such long, thick tresses
To make him climb up to me?
He was a hero, but I, a damsel in distress…

Did I need a curse which made me vulnerable
To even a prick of a needle?
Where I slept on my blossom bed
And he came by,
Kissed me back to life.
My messiah, a stranger though he was.

Did I need to kiss the frog, or
Be kept enslaved in an ancient mansion
As my ‘prince’ comes in strange shapes?
Did I need break my heart, and sigh
To the desolate breeze, wafting farewells
To the foreigner not meant to be there?

I cry my heart out, I wait.
I wait with longing groans,
I wait with searching eyes,
I wait to be swept off my feet,
Or grief-stricken, die…

I romanticized my life, like
Little girls do.
My fairytales taught me to
Believe in magic, dreams come true…
But I wasn’t told, this is the hard ground.
I wasn’t told dreams aren’t lovely.
I wasn’t taught how to ‘act’.

I wasn’t taught there are no
Knights in shining armours.
But you. By yourself.
And you got to be the
Dame with glistening tiara.