Beauty and the Beast

Princesses and fairy tales with the promise
of happily ever after and make-believe,
lure the female readers into fantasy,
but when the story is done, thoughts linger on
making young women do things that are unsafe and illogical.

Like Beauty falling in love with a Beast, who transforms
into a marvelous prince, one who loves her
and treats her kindly for the rest of her life.

Yet in reality the beast stays a beast
beyond the surface of his skin
it is part of his soul and doesn’t conform
to love but drags everything down to its level,
where unhappiness reigns beneath the lure of danger.

His dark brooding eyes, and a curl
that hangs, just so, over his forehead
awakes a passion and a sincere desire
to change this wild beast into a domesticated creature.

What once caused her heart to flutter
from the roar of his motorcycle,
to the smell of his leather jacket
now nauseates her.

The fantasy that love could transform all, implodes
with too many late nights, no excuses where he’s been,
drunken brawls and lost jobs the dream wears thin.
She realizes there’s more to life than waiting up
with accusations and pleas.

She leaves him behind,
grateful for an honest man,
relegating the fairy tale to where it belongs
to the realm of the imagination.