And if the aging princess,
well kept inside her palace
(for her protection)
all these years

Were to find her way out,
and see, on the street, whole tracts
of identical palaces,
a suburb of princesses
all locked away,
assured they were singular, royal, and precious,
what would she think?

What would she think of the ones
who had told her, each day,
how special she was?
What would she think of the system that held her, what would she think of her luxuries?
What would she think of her life and its purpose? And more importantly,
What would she do?

©Wendy Mulhern
May 1, 2021