A Modern Fairytale

Once upon a time

In a land not too far away

There lives a little girl

Fabled in books and dossiers.

She has her head in the clouds

And her heart on her sleeve

But she always wears a smile

Because she aims to please.

This particular girl

Isn’t just like the others

She has long curly hair and

Fair skin like her mother’s:

She is always rather cheerful

And so easy to spot

Yet she’s often strangely quiet

And doesn’t say an awful lot.

You may pass her on the street

And she may offer you a smile

And if you want to know her,

It may take her quite awhile.

She isn’t a princess

But she could still pretend

That in her magic mirror

Her fairytale would never end;

She’d never let it go

She’d make it through the years

And with that certain spark of hope

Her smile would never turn to tears.

She lives, breaths, talks in melody

Dressed in her imaginary gown

Because who needs a suit of armor

When you can wear a crown?

Everyday she’s dreaming

Though it’s nonsense to the rest,

Because she doesn’t suit the role

Of the damsel in distress.

They put her on a pedestal

With the goddesses of lore

Though she’d give everything she had

To have never been adored.

They never ask her for her autograph

Or take pictures for the news

They keep safely at a distance

Till she’s shunned like a recluse.

Yet her smile will never falter

So she’s always picaresque

Does the China doll have feelings?

Or is her porcelain somewhat cracked?

We may never know, my friend,

If and how we have transgressed,

So we continue on until we’ve

Become almost obsessed.

We think that we may own her

And pin her down upon the wall

Ornament her with our labels

As “the fairest of them all”.

And so, with that in mind,

Here’s the moral to our story

If you see this girl, please treat her

As though she's real, alive, and worthy.