This girl is not ready
to tell her whole story
so she offers it in short words and sentences
cryptic phrases and pithy replies
she loves stories so much they save her
for awhile
space
She lives in her storybooks
because they are safer than ordinary life
never makes plans for the future
because she has none
and instead experiences love with Elizabeth
fights fairies with Jude
never asks for anything in return
other than to be welcomed into the adventure
whenever she pleases
space
Until one day those stories betray her
and she sees in the desperate revenge of
The Count of Monte Cristo
her own bloodthirsty eyes
And in the madness of Bertha
a mirror of her manic mind
space
She’s never before met so much of herself
and some of it is hard to stomach
Like the way she spitefully mis-tells experiences
and cheerfully engages in little white lies
(in the mirror she thinks her nose has grown a little)
and ignores the people who love her
space
Love is not as clean or simple as
Once upon a time
So she slams the books shut
and each book she’s read sits on the shelf
mocks her with dusty memories
While the unread sparkle with unreachable glamour
space
She misses them
But she’s afraid of who will greet her
once she opens them up again
space
Not knowing is easier somehow for the girl
She does not want to find out
the story she’s told of herself
isn’t unique
it’s universal
About the Author
Kendra is a creative writing student here at Selkirk College, she is currently in her 3rd year and hoping to finish up this spring. Kendra enjoys spending her time eating sushi, thrifting with friends, and reading romance novels.
