Without any need of men,
Cinderella had grown
to become a chubby, swarthy orphan
with mouthfuls of chocolates
while running errands.
But she was still the missy
who loved to shine apples
for her stepmother,
half sisters, and half home.
She was locked away in the dingy attic
with nothing to scarf out
but rotten apples from the backyard
fainting one night while spinning spindles.
Until, in her unconsiousness,
she lost weight and lay in bed
like Sleeping Beauty
but still no man came up to her.
Sleeping Beauty became a lady
still unconscious, still too bonnie
growing her hair longer each day --
the once chubby, swarthy girl
looked too beautiful now in slumber
dreaming away her skin's duskiness
until she was thought to be Snow White,
being envied by her half-sisters
who had rued locking her away.
But by the time the handsome prince came
to rescue the damsel in distress,
her hair had grown too long.
The strike of midnight,
the bite of apple caught in her throat
and the prince's kiss
could not anymore awaken Rapunzel.
