Cinderella
By Abigail Zajac, 18
Have courage and be kind they said
My entire life I’ve had a weighted heart on a breaking chain
I wept courageously through the pain
But a lady doesn’t cry they said
So I desperately ran down the stairs
W a n t i n g
C r a v i n g
Any other ending to the story
I was left with the moral:
life is a crescendoing waltz whose steps I don’t know
But a lady’s not meant to ask questions they said
I guess it’s a good thing there was a man there to teach me how to dance
What a charming prince he is
He even tried to follow me home
It’s love at first sight they said
From his view I’m sure
He scoured the land looking for me
It’s a fairy tale they said,
every woman’s dream
Then why couldn’t he remember me?
my laugh
my face
my eyes
my cheeks
Why then did he need a shoe to prove it was me?
Now I have a wedding ring
and he never forgets to call me his property
I like to write poems from the perspectives of women, fictional or real, who have inspired me. Growing up, Cinderella was my favorite fairytale; I was always captivated by her kindness and courage. As I got older, I read the Grimm Brothers’ version along with many darker retellings of the beloved tale. So when I decided to put myself in her glass slippers, I wanted it to be through a feminist lens. This poem is about the hurt I think she feels throughout her story and the pressures of womanhood that she faces.
