once upon a times play through her head
a little girl all of four
sitting on the lap of the old man
she calls grandpa
head tilts, eyes shine, smile screwed
as he utters those final words
"happily ever after"
I am th princess
I am the fair maiden
I am the damsel in distress
where is my knight in shining armor?
Her grandpa flashes through her head
the pleasant memory of yesterdays fades
with the aroma of tobacco and dirt
her prince, that fine young man she pictured
as a girl
with his dark brown hair, bright eyes
flashes her a smile as he pulls her to his white stead
just as memories of the past fade
so does the security of that phrase
"happily ever after"
she knows that happily is just a term
she'll only glimpse but once
before the prince turns on his heels
and rides away
the fire that once consumed her heart
as a child
consumed her body as an adult
consumes her soul
as her prince rides away
leaving her cold on the ground
in the shadows of the fading sunset