This Is Not a Fairytale

by Erin Wendorf

This is not a fairytale.

There is no princess in danger

or a servant girl

who wishes for freedom;

there is just an ordinary girl

living an ordinary life.

There is no castle,

or evil stepmother,

or magic mirror;

this girl has two parents

who love her

and only want the best for her.

There is no curse,

whether by poisoned apple

or spinning wheel,

or animal companions

who help the girl get ready for prom.

There are no fairies,

good or evil;

no dragons,

no dwarves,

no thorn bushes,

and no glass casket.

In this world,

women are wary

and don't marry

men they have only known

for three days.

In this world,

women have their voices stifled

by something far more powerful than a sea witch.

In this world,

women intentionally freeze their own hearts.

We are trapped in a society

that isolates us,

even more so than a stone tower

What are we waiting for?

Prince Charming?

No.

Our perceptions of the men we meet

are distorted by our rose-colored

glass slippers.

Adam is nothing but a beast.

In this world,

we save ourselves,

and if that makes us less feminine,

so be it.