by Alexandra Seidel
Know that ever after is a curse;
it compels you to wear the wolf’s teeth
or the ring, the nightgown or the crown,
the glass slipper or the iron shoes
forevermore
you have no choice or freedom
in this ever after, you have stepmothers
and husband-princes, axes and ovens
and though it may seem otherwise
never enough time
a happily ever after was forged
from fool’s gold and tastes of poisoned apples
the mermaid’s tail was quite enough
but not in fairy tales
no wine will drown the hunger
and every beast must shed their fur
it is like this, a curse:
ever after, ever after
uttered like a fetid prayer
over and over from all our spell-bound throats
Alexandra Seidel was lost to the charm of myth, legend, fairy tale and dreams at an early age. She gave her heart to writing a little while later and must confess that there are few things–if any–she likes better.
Alexandra writes poetry and prose, mainstream and fantastical, funny, horror and anything in between that seems worth writing about. Some of her work has appeared or is forthcoming in Strange Horizons, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Electric Velocipede and other places. She blogs about whatever and writing: www.tigerinthematchstickbox.blogspot.com