Blank Beginning

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Once upon a time, a princess?
Once upon a time, a girl?
Once upon a time, a person?
Once upon a time... someone?
Who?
Who am I?

I try to start my story
but the words stumble over me.
I don't know if I was made of fairy tales or fragments,
if I was dreamed or simply forgotten.

They say I used to be sweet,
or maybe strong.
Or maybe fragile.
Or maybe none of those.
Or maybe all.

I look inside
and find empty rooms,
crossed-out names,
echoes of voices I don't recognize.

I wish I could tell you who I am —
but I only know who I’ve been in the eyes of others.
I want to write myself in steady lines,
but my hand trembles,
and the mirror lies.

Am I the poorly told story?
The torn-out page?
The character that stepped off the script?

Or am I just
someone trying to be someone
in a body that sometimes feels wrong,
with feelings that don’t always fit,
in a world demanding definitions
when all I hold is fog?

Once upon a time...
Once upon a time, someone
who one day, maybe,
will learn that not knowing
is still a beginning.

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