The Hand
Once upon a time,
In a faraway land,
Lived a young princess
Who sought for a hand.
One to protect her
From the evils and fears,
And to wipe away all
Of her forlorn tears.
And while she sat at
Her window to stare,
Waiting for that hand
That promised to care,
Around her the kingdom
Was beginning to crumble,
The rivers would not flow,
Buildings begin to tumble.
Oblivious was she to
The darkness and gloom
Looking for her hand
That would not yet loom,
Ignoring the cries that
Pierced the night sky
And the sound of death
That did not travel so high.
There was much hunger,
There was much thirst,
Yet no one could decide
Which pain was worst.
Small babies would go
To the eternal sleep
Without having any
memories which to keep.
And fathers who had at
One point been so strong
Were found weak from
Weeping for so very long.
Mothers were forced to
Bury their own child,
A pain that was, by no
Small means, very mild.
And still the princess
Looked on for her hand,
Ignoring the pain that
Dominated the land.
Then, when in their
Deepest despair,
A prince came for the
Maiden with golden hair.
She rose from her window
And gave a great cry
For there was her hand
With eyes like the sky.
She finally emerged from
Her great, tall tower,
Tucking into her long
Locks a purple flower.
The darkness was bright,
She pretended it to be so,
For the truth was hard,
and something she didn't know.
All that she had waited for
These long, long years!
That hand that would
Always wipe away tears!
But when the prince saw
The darkness and pain,
He knew that in marrying
Her there would be no gain,
For she had spent her life
Living in her dreams
Of fairytale princes
And dragons, it seems.
He shook his head and,
In a deep voice, said
"Where is their water?
Where is their bread?"
The princess looked and
For the first time she saw
That in her kingdom
There existed a flaw.
The land was dry,
There was no food,
And there hung around
Them an eerie mood.
"I do not know, Prince,"
She admitted with a smile,
"But that will be fixed.
Please, stay for a while"
The prince shook his head
And frowned at the child.
"You ignored your people,
And now are reviled.
For a princess that cannot
Keep her people alive
Is not worthy of me,
For she would not survive.
And so dear princess,
For my people's sake,
I cannot marry you.
It would be a mistake"
Leaving the princess
Without her cherished hand,
The prince rode out of the
Forsaken land,
And the princess wept
As she realized her evil.
Her dreams of his hand had
Nearly killed all of her people.
So instead of living in
Her fairytale dreams,
This princess will not rest
Until she redeems
Every misdeed that in her
Innocence she did commit,
So that when another hand comes
She will now be fit
To become the queen of
Another land,
And worthy to accept the
Offer of another hand.