The eternal tappings of a slipper’d foot
100 strokes of a brush through golden locks of hair
White steeds
Tangles of rose bushes
Fairies, gnomes, evil stepmothers
A groove of expectations dug into
The soft vinyl of my young mind
Laying tracks of fantasy and escape
To play over and over
Burning impossibilities behind
Eyes clenched tight against
The probabilities behind
A small body accessible to
The wrong people at the wrong times
Prince Charming
The Nick of Time
A Vanquished Villain
And Everyone Lives
Happily Ever After
The sunshiney, happy places
A child huddles in to escape
Are nearly impossible for a
Grown woman, fingers jammed in her ears
To negate
A musical security blanket
That never gets frayed
Never gets left behind
Never fades in the wash
Never gets torn up by a
Vicious older brother
But hums along
Available for any panicked interlude
When reality is too painful or
Frightening or
Disappointing
The mice always sing and sew
The dwarves always whistle while they work
The dragon is always slain
The princess is always saved
And Everyone Always Lives Happily
Ever After
5.7.11