"Empty Promises"

I walk into your garden on a sunny day,
Only to find flowers dry and a sky turned gray.
I step into your castle; it crumbles around me.
I find the key to your treasure chest; it's empty.
And it's easier to say that nothing's wrong,
It's easier to pretend to this hasn't been a dream all along.

I run into your shimmering lake.
It turns to ice, you watch as I shake.
Alone at your table, I wait another hour.
Locked in solitude once again in your tower.
Smiling, you place an apple in my hand.
Then you wait to watch me become poisoned.
And it's easier to believe this isn't true.
It's easier to pretend this isn't you.

You hold your arms out to me, I run near,
I reach out to you and you disappear.
On a white horse, you ride for me to see,
But you'll never be able to save me.
Imagining what could be, happily ever after...you and me.
But why be simple, when we could live in misery?
And it's easier to believe that I'm your queen.
It's easier to believe you couldn't be this mean.

Walls crashing down, but I stand my ground.
Still standing before you, I turn you around.
Tall, dark prince look into the mirror on the wall,
Reflecting back a boy frightened and small.
What am I? Living in this lie.
Now it will be your turn to cry.
If only I had not been so blind,
This is your life, your poisoned mind.
And it's easier to leave this all behind.
It's easier to say you'll look for me, but you'll never find.





Author's Notes:  The fairy tale associations in this poem symbolize my innocent/dreamy thinking as a teenager.  It's about my experiences and the experiences of my friends who entered into teenage marriage, our denial of choosing someone wrong and the escape of those choices.