“They sent a knight to save you once And found you curled up with the dragon Crown askew, skirts singed They tried marrying you, Couldn’t hack it, went home, You liked the acoustics much better In empty castles. (the dragon was teaching you to roar.) Six wars they waged against you— Disgruntled princes with their Silent knights. Blood in the fields, in the water, In the snow, on their crowns, When you added them To your collections. Rarely smiled, laughed only with the dragon, Looked so often over your shoulder You almost forgot to watch ahead. Here’s the secret you took to your grave; You were holding whole kingdoms But your palms were made of sand. - Elisabeth Hewer, “Obituary for the princess who forgot to be a fairytale”