Not-so-Happy Endings
Happily ever after is the easiest lie to tell;
No one asks what happens when ever after doesn't come.
For who still reads Snow White's story
When she misses the feel of her mother's fingers through her hair
When she thoughtlessly dances the steps that a pair
Of frenzied red-hot shoes once traced?
For who still watches Cinderella
When the rules become too much and the palace too cold
When the girl in cinders dons the long-forgotten rags
And curls up in a fireplace once lit?
And who sings the song of beautiful Aurora
When she wakes an aged mind lost in the body of a girl
When she wanders the ruined halls of a life
Filled with beauty and love once dreamt?
Now who cries the tears of Ariel
When each step on the earth brings dreams of ocean currents
When the memories of sisters and parents and friends
Cry out for release to the waters once cherished?
Happily ever after is the perfect lie to tell;
No one asks when ever after becomes never again.
