Smile on her lips, spark in her gait,

A princess stepping out to the ball,

Lost in her joy, no care, no hate,

That girl she now could not recall.

The face she’d painted as she stepped out the door,

Now adorned with tears that wouldn’t cease.

Clock strikes twelve, Cinderella no more,

The girl wondered if she’d ever known peace.

Had she done some wrong; Had it been her fate;

She couldn’t stop thinking she’d made a mistake.

Would she ever know that there was no debate,

The girl did not deserve this ache.

She wiped her tears and painted on a face,

To face the slander that would come her way,

Burying this fresh fear she now had to embrace,

She prayed she’d heal day by day.

To the cruel world blind to her pain, I implore;

Listen to her words, because,

No means no!

By: Kaveesha Vidushinie

Image Courtesy: https://bit.ly/46VoW1V