By: Linda M Crate

the rain falls
brings me peace
i couldn’t
find in the sunshine of
your golden locks
or in the blue skies of your
eyes
because everything in you was
an illusion
you were the prince in the woods
and i was cinderella
you were charming but you never loved
me the way i did you,
and i could not
remain with someone untrue;
you were not the angel you pretended to be
but a fallen one whose broken
halo could not emit
enough light
for the summer that broke loose in me;
i forgot i wasn’t looking for a hero
that i had always been the
hero with sword in her hand and wind at her back
i wasn’t looking for a prince—
all my life i’ve been looking for a king
for i am a queen
that would always spare him from certain death
a girl needs rescuing,
but women slay their own damn dragons.