I must steal Harold’s purple crayon
And build myself a brand-new town
No king or paper bag princess
It will be me who wears the crown.

I shall draw myself a forest
And begin the stories anew
Word of the Fair Queen’s fame will spread
And chaos will ensue.

In order to reach my kingdom
You must first prove your worth
I cannot be reached by sea or sky
You must travel over the earth.

Through the forest is your only hope
To gain such fortune and fame
Marry the Queen and rule the kingdom
If you can survive the game.

You must follow Little Red Riding Hood
As far and as fast as you can
Steer clear of Jack and his beanstalk
Do not trust the Ginger Bread Man.

Snow White’s cabin is to the north
Goldilocks lives to the west
Hansel and Gretel will offer you food
Beware, this is a test.

The Three Little Pigs are plagued
By the Big Bad Wolf of lore
But even he is nothing compared
To the curse Sleeping Beauty bore

**** n Boots and Robin Hood
Will save you just one time
Dare to steal the Goose’s Golden eggs
And you will be punished for your crime.

If you manage to defy the odds
And make it through alive
I shall take your hand and under our rule
The kingdom will grow and thrive.

You must understand it isn’t personal, darling
When I slip the poison into your canteen
I miss my game, and nobody can be
More powerful than the crooked fair Queen.

your words can never hurt me
as they cut me to the bone
leaving scars like no other
their damage goes deeper than sticks and stones

The wind whistles in the trees and I watch
Transfixed by their easy swaying
How they can bend so freely
How they can snap.
It seems so simple
So impossibly clear
Watching something break.

He whistles and I watch
Transfixed by his comfortable presence
How he is perfectly himself
How he has no idea.
I have made it so simple
So impossibly clear
Yet he doesn’t seem to notice me break.

Wasn’t it just yesterday
I learned to ride a bike?
Or felt the grass between my toes
As I flew my rainbow kite.

Those days so quickly turned to nights
Spent with the boy next door,
Stolen cigarettes and first kisses
A bottle spinning on the floor.

Suddenly I had moved away
No longer a little girl,
Started a career and found a lover
Said yes to his grandmother’s pearl.

With his green eyes and my brown curls
Out came a baby of our own,
And since that day I can’t believe
Just how fast she’s grown.

Now each night before bed
I’ll tell a story I’ve made up
And then I poke her belly and say,
Please try to never grow up.

i walked by your house this morning
twice before going inside
i used to feel happy and free there
but now i curl up and hide

stop, she cried
as i broke it in my hand
why me, she asked
when i have the rest of our lives planned?

i cant help it, my reply
as i watch you fall through my grasp
i love you, i sob
my voice coming out barely a rasp

if only it were that easy
if it were punishable like a crime
take me to the gallows
as the church bells chime

if it were looked down upon in society
instead of treated like an art
i bet there would be a lot less of it then
breaking a young woman's heart

i woke up at five today
just to watch the sun rise
i walked the deserted streets
smelt the bakery's morning pies.
the colors shifted overhead
a fusion of honey and rose
i didn't worry about hair or makeup
didn't even change out of bed clothes.
it was a sacred time
a moment for me, and me alone
to walk in silence and feel at peace
moving headfirst into the unknown.