Once upon a time, we were children

All untainted by the anger of this world

We were once like them, like the princesses we looked up to in the movies

Like the righteous heroes who fought the bad guys

 

Those stories

They left their mark

Because they were broken versions of us

Who bent down to pick up their pieces

 

I wanted to be the girl with the glass slipper and the fairy godmother;

I  wanted to be kind and selfless

 

I wanted to have long magic hair that glowed when I sang;

I wanted to be adventurous and fearless

 

I wanted to have magic powers and conjure up an effervescent snowman that wanted warm hugs;

I  wanted to be bold and independent

 

I wanted to be the girl who could talk to animals;

I wanted to be special.

 

I had always wondered why

These characters were etched in my mind

 

They left their mark because they exemplified the life we wanted to lead

Their journeys were those that deserved to be told

Those stories magnified all the things we wanted and

All the things we lost somewhere along the way