Unfairy Tale

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

Escaping White Privilege

I’m tired of looking
round and round
in this prescribed place
of acceptability —
I’ve searched every corner
and some of what I want and need
is missing

And though I’ve been told
that my partition
is the one most everyone
wishes they were born in,
I’m not so sure

I’m thinking
I need to get out of here,
even if it means
giving up the stuff I’m told
others would most envy

I have a notion kindness
may be my ticket,
so I will prize it
and seek out every chance
to exercise it

I will build up the core
of my kindness
until it can do
all kinds of acrobatic things
or at least till it reaches
over the divide.

©Wendy Mulhern
May 22, 2017