by Katherine Barrington

Created on: January 19, 2009

Happily Ever After

Every girl wants to be a princess,

but not every boy is cut out to be prince,

hard as he may try.

Perhaps if they were, these tireless suitors

would inspire me to let down my golden locks

rather than stay secluded in my tower,

afraid that the slightest glance

or wrongly turned phrase

might spark their hopes and draw them nearer.

One after the other, their arms sweep me up in dance,

each well-toned muscle a witness

to their mastery of the sword, the bow, the lance.

They have fought monsters and emerged victorious,

but all have yet to slay the dragons

of their own imaginations

which prompt them to see only my

snow-white skin and rose-red lips

rather than my tired, tortured feet, pinched in glass slippers.

The one I'm waiting for would be no prince charming.

He would not try to be.

He would sit atop his shaggy horse, content to feel the rain

cascading onto his shoulders from his crownless head.

He would not hide behind tailored suit and top hat, rather

be resplendent in his humility.

They may attempt to be swans and stallions,

but all I see is a bunch of frogs

hopping desperately to capture the golden ball.

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