Once Upon Every Time
As I read a story about fairytale characters alive and well in New York
My childhood comes whispering back to me
And I remember once again, why my fanciful notions were set that way
For a minute I’m angry
Then, as I swim through the adventures of princesses and reformed bad boys
I realize how very like my own life these stories are
They grew up just like me
They grew up to be me
And then…I consider that
Foul-mouthed Cinderellas may sleep in Paris
And duel in New York
But they still yearn for the dream that used to be Prince Charming
While Charming, still dashing and enthralling wins favour and disrepute
Never encountering the bland bliss of indifference
Princesses and peasant girls alike, dance the tango of love and resentment
But he’s always on everyone’s dance card
The dates change and the backdrop shifts
but the cast always plays the same plot
If the first love was naivete
And the second is a chance to make right and make good
The third must surely be a fool
But we’re made fools of, every time
Fairytale characters and me
Perhaps we’d rather be fools than not at all
Since heartbreak and anguish belong in a fairytale
but ‘happily ever after’ spells the end.
