By Linda Leedy Schneider
PROMPT—Privilege ...
Now I am living in the South of Gaul with a real princess.
Rapunzel’s constant singing gave me headaches after a year.
And these twins, Charm and Charmette, who didn’t like or even look
like me ran rampant. Sure her tears healed my blindness,
but I was pierced by those poison thorns because of her.
My parents soon found her common and uneducated.
After all, she had grown up wild and alone in that tower.
Never learned to cook, embroider or converse.
She even hated to walk on grass, and horses frightened her.
O, we tried counseling, but Rapunzel just cried and cried.
She was always good at tears. Imagine, she wanted me to give up questing,
spend more time with her and the children and even find a job.
Finally I was diagnosed with PTSD and she with Melancholia.
“Irreconcilable differences,” the therapist said, “No common interests,
extreme divergence in socioeconomic class, values, and education.”
My new princess and me are quite happy now by the sea.
Some things are never meant to be
Happily Ever After.
Though now Julia’s incessant talk, her demand I dress for dinner,
and constant attempts to get me to give up questing
are making me feel restless again. I long for the North.
It’s quite warm, windy, and humid here in the South of Gaul.
Linda Leedy Schneider, a psychotherapist in private practice and a poetry mentor, was awarded The Contemporary American Poetry Prize by Chicago Poetry. Linda has written six collections of poetry including Through My Window: Poetry of a Psychotherapist and edited two poetry anthologies, Poems From 84th Street and Mentor's Bouquet. She leads workshops for the International Women's Writing Guild and founded The Manhattan Writing Workshop. Linda writes from Grand Rapids, Michigan.