The best fairy tales all start the same, with once upon a time. 

They ebb and flow. They twist and turn and sometimes even rhyme. 

But maybe what makes them so special is not the stories themselves, 

Perhaps there’s something different that keeps them on our shelves.

When I was young, it used to be, when I was warm and fed

My father took me in his arms and showed me off to bed.

Then he’d take that magic book, all wrapped in gold and green, 

And curled together on my bed, he would start to read.

That book was full of fantastic tales that told of knights and queens

And every night, without fail, I found them in my dreams. 

Oh! The adventures we would have together, as those dreams unfolded

I, a queen both kind and true, and he a knight so bold.

I don’t remember my favorite story, the one I thought was best,

But I do remember finding sleep, my head against his chest.

Later I would steal away to some hidden secret nook,

I could always feel my father’s love in the pages of that book.