Cinderellie
From the time you were little
You knew about love.
Princes, knights in armor
Were out there.
When your kingdom went to war
You were abandoned.
Brothers, cousins, lovers
All shipped off.
You worked at manual labor.
Jobs once done by men.
Waiting, hoping, dreaming
Of their return.
And some came marching back.
As did Prince Charming
Proposals, rings, vows
For Cinderellie.
Of course there was a trade off,
A price to be paid.
School, writing, a career
Put aside.
Was a picket fence enough?
Unwanted children,
Cooking, sewing, cleaning.
Not your dream.
Maybe in another life
You can have your dreams.
Writer, poet, scholar
Poor Cinderellie.