once upon a time*
and we all know how this story goes:
there's a princess in a tower
waiting for true love to find her.
don't lie: you wanted to be royalty
back before reality set in.
you outgrew it.

i never did.
i've always loved fairytales
but i never wanted to be the hero.
i'm no damsel in distress.
me? i wanted to be the dragon.

i wanted to plunder and pillage,
to put myself first,
to take instead of give.

i wanted to kidnap the princess
and feel the rush of power
that comes from leaving
a kingdom in fear.

i wanted to live for myself.
i wanted to not care when
someone told me to do better,
when people called me failure.

i wanted to burn people with my fire
like i wished i could with words.

i wanted to be legendary,
divine,
better
than
before.

i wanted to be the dragon
because the dragon always dies.