Poetry Column – Fictional Characters?

Cinderella
by Jamie Sackett

You could have thought of something
better. It’s all you did all those hours
dreaming that someday your prince
will find you, that if only your father
had better taste in women. First off,

we dream those things we have yet
to realize. So shall I decide your fate
by stuffing your toes and knuckling
your soles into the chamber of a slender
slipper? You were meant to be locked

in the attic for the duration of the ball;
you will remain in this forever. The evolution
from servant to wife. You may be typically
blonde, but I’m going to love you like
a red-headed stepchild. Know this: There are

no fairy godmothers. The carriage has been
parked in the pumpkin patch. The watch never
paused while we waltzed; the clock will be
striking your midnight happily ever after.
No one could be that charming after all.

The poetry society had a challenge- out of a hat, we all pulled out a character, were it Stalin, Cinderella, The Queen of Hearts, or Marie Antoinette.   James’ character was Cinderella and based solely on those guidelines wrote this poem.  This poem is different as it allows the reader to see a well known character through the eyes of another, allowing a new perspective.  One might not like it, as Cinderella is a character that many may hold as a dear innocent, childlike cartoon.  James’ version is harsher.  More vile, as we see with his imagery with her foot being stuffed in the shoe.  The poem shows a moment where reality hits, when it is revealed that all we have held as the true Cinderella story is shattered.  The poem can be seen as the adult, real world version of Cinderella; take it with a pinch of salt.

by Alicia Jensen