When The Princess Saved Herself

Once upon a time,

a rose-colored girl

fell in love with her dreams.

Her mind never sat idly by

It roamed

to vast valleys,

overflowing with poppies the color of sunshine and moonlight

To the caves of huge beasts made of leaves

their backs built like cacti, all spikes and sinew

To the stars she was named after,

hoping only for a glimpse of the galaxy that she felt within herself.

 

The kingdom went aflame.

The peasants had seen towns drowned by the tears of clouds

And kings speared through the heart with a knife of greed,

their own hand gripped around the hilt

But a girl

enchanted by her own mind?

That

Was

Unheard

Of.

Make yourself smaller, they shouted

Let someone else dream for you.

 

She dissolved into their cries

She floated along their river of expectations

Until she washed ashore

stranded on the banks

with a prince made of

Dust eyes

Straw hair

Gasoline veins

 

He tried to splinter her into pieces

Grind her up until all that remained

could be bottled up

and sprinkled on his breakfast

when his porridge left too dull a taste in his mouth.

 

But in the moments when she was alone

when her small voice echoed in the empty castle

she dreamed

Visiting fairies that weaved vines in her hair

and tigers that sang low, sad songs

But more than anything

she dreamed

of open windows, unlocked doors, and a smile that didn’t suffocate

 

I want to know what’s in your mind, the prince said one day

The princess painted him her dreams,

the canvas a rainbow of hope and life and prayers

And he stared at the canvas blankly,

replaced the canvas

with a heavy fist,

and destroyed every inch of her soul

with

one

swift

move

 

This

was how it ended.

“I would rather

sleep my life away

than allow you

to stop me

from dreaming.”

For the first time,

her mouse voice

boomed.

 

And so she escaped

into a slumber

Dreaming of women made of crystals

and boys made of glass

She remained in this world forever

Where trees were made of hope

Where the sky smelled like home

Where smiles never bit

Where she was entirely her own.

 

This poem is about: 
My country
Our world

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