Rapunzel

http://inkdropart.com
I liked this better than the Disney
versions I saw online, I think
because the tower looks
a little ricketty.

Rapunzel might have cut her hair
to braid into a rope, escaping
through the window on her own
instead of waiting for her prince
to come, just one, the only man
she'd ever seen but in the story
there's no faltering, no question
that her life would be much better
if she did but take his hand
and deftly climb out of the tower
that had been her home so long.
She could have done it, though,
if she'd realized that she was
stronger than the lies someone
had whispered in her ear. How
long before she figured out that
happiness could not depend
on anyone but her? The prince
was great, don't get me wrong,
but not without his faults, and
caught up in the matters of the
kingdom could get fairly
self-absorbed. When Rapunzel
found herself regretting
stepping through the window
then she knew that all the
fairy tales aren't true, not even
ones in which she had the starring role.


(c) Ellen Gillette, 2013