Photography by Dina Goldstein , Fallen Princesses series

What happens after happily ever after?

Snow White swallows a mouthful of poison,

this time on purpose,

after finding out her prince secretly slept with

seven other girls.

Cinderella runs away

in the middle of the night,

realizing Prince Charming isn’t so charming

after twelve glasses of wine.

Photography by Dina Goldstein, Fallen Princesses series

Aurora grips a metal spindle,

cuts her wrist

once, twice,

washing off the memory

of the man who raped her, who saved her

from the monsters under her bed.

She sighs, smiles, and smoothens

her skirt.

What happens after happily ever after?

Rapunzel uses her cut-off hair

to hang every witch who dares

burden her kingdom.

Photography by Dina Goldstein, Fallen Princesses series

Jasmine steals Aladdin’s magic carpet.

Travels the world and makes it

her own.

Ariel sells her soul

and slits her husband’s throat. Wild heart aching

for adventure, screaming to be freed to love

all the men she could’ve.

She could’ve.

Photography by Dina Goldstein, Fallen Princesses series

What happens after happily ever after?

Happiness, I suppose. Somewhere

the moon is full. Somewhere…

Red Riding Hood becomes the wolf.

—

Sade Andria Zabala is a twenty-four year old Filipina surfer sometimes living in Denmark. She is the author of poetry books War Songs and Coffee and Cigarettes. Her work has appeared on places such as Literary Orphans, The Thought Catalog, The Rising Phoenix Review, Hooligan Magazine, Germ Magazine, and more. In her spare time she likes to eat words and drink sunlight.

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