Courtlyn

Along the crooked sidewalk lined with daisies and dandelions,

Beside weathered fences and rusty mailboxes with creaky hinges,

Courtlyn skipped and scrambled, waving her bronze arms.

Delight at the sun, which shone exuberantly on the tangled blonde head,

Enchanted her. She played pretend; she was a princess,

Fearless and free, swirling her tattered sundress as if it were a gown.

Glimmering eyes pictured the dilapidated houses as quaint cottages,

Homes of her loyal subjects, or grand castles anxious to please her.

Introducing herself to the myriad of admiring princes,

Jovial and flirtatious Courtlyn surveyed them all until she found the One.

Kind and handsome, he offered his hand, and they danced.

Laughing and spinning on the cracked sidewalk, Courtlyn

Mistakes her mother’s calls for her suitor’s voice.

Nearing, her mother grabs her arm, abruptly ending the make-believe.

Only her prince remains for a fleeting second,

Pitying the lonely little princess, before vanishing with the rest.

Quieting Courtlyn with a smack, her mother drags her across the lawn,

Rebuking the unbridled imagination that could create joy anywhere.

Silent and disheartened, Courtlyn bade her prince farewell for the last time,

Then turned towards the house and meekly stepped through the door.

Underneath her masked composure, she longed for here world where

Venomous words and narrow thoughts were banished from existence,

Where chivalrous princes courted her and showered her with gifts.

Xerothermic weather sapped her energy, bleaching her hair

Yet darkening her young, frivolous soul,

Zipping her lips shut and stifling her creativity.