I could have taken a bite from the other side.
But I wanted perfection, nothing less -
Let age and ugliness settle for less than I was worth.
That's how I came to choke on someone else's bitterness.
There was no pain,
Only a moment of clarity
Truth dawning as dusk set in.
Time enough to see the old hag smile.
But even in my deathless sleep I was not allowed to hide:
They placed me under glass
Like some splendid pheasant
Garnished with flowers instead of rosemary.
Trapped in beauty trapped in glass.
People like to say I was awakened by a kiss
As if a kiss could have reached me.
It was the dwarf, stumbling under the burden I had become
who tripped, and loosed my grip upon the apple.
I'm not complaining, you understand -
Only trying to explain how it felt
Returned to my rightful place
With the rememberence of bitterness lodged in my throat.
I do not look in mirrors.
