There is no tale without its shadow,
no poison apples offered by jealous queens,
no dying roses wilting beneath glass,
no torches raised in angry mobs.
No shells that steal a maiden’s voice,
no schemes to claim both princess and throne,
no voodoo curses binding lovestruck frogs,
no tower that bound a golden braid,
no mothers hoarding youth with lies,
no daughters breaking spelled cakes under the moon,
no glass slippers lost among the cinders,
no oceans cursed, no islands blighted black.
No spindle’s prick that summons endless sleep.
What kind of story dares to bloom
with only happy endings—
no thorns to bleed, no trials to endure,
no price extracted at the final breath?
No story I have ever read…
until the page turned softly
and there you were—
my once-upon-a-time come true.