a fragile princess locked in a tower
cowering down at the land below her
wondering, wondering, wondering.
what's stopping you?
night, day, night, day
same view, same view
forests and grass and flora for miles
waterfalls and mountains.
it was beautiful at first
but it has grown dull.
a princess with scars comes
and tells her to let down her hair
let down your hair.
the fragile princess is looking down at the girl
wondering, wondering, wondering.
what's stopping you?
the fragile princess comes down instead
and looks at this beautiful woman standing in front of her.
beautiful locks of hair,
full lips and pretty eyes,
a flowing gown.
the fragile princess takes one final look at the tower behind her,
and without a word,
without a second thought,
follows the appealing girl in front of her.
the princess with scars taught her the ways of the world,
showing her how to fight and defend herself.
for this, she did not give her a sword.
she gave her a book.
but maybe,
that was more dangerous than any blade
for knowledge is power.
the princess with the scars told her the story of each and every scar,
for she knew them and knew them well.
they were not from a war fought side-by-side with comrades.
they were from a war with herself that was fought alone.
that girl was not a princess,
she was a warrior.
a few years later and the fragile princess returns home
to her crumbling tower.
vines grown through the stones,
constricting the tower and lacing it in life.
the fragile princess is no longer fragile
the princess is no longer a princess
she is a warrior.
her skin
her heart
it is still made of glass,
but it is the bulletproof kind.
and she now knows two people
with battle scars from wars long-forgotten.
the princess—
no, warrior—
with the scars,
and the person in the mirror.
and not once
was she ever ashamed
of those scars.
for they were not something
to be ashamed of
in the first place.
because any human being
could gain the physical strength and training
to fight one another.
but it takes someone
of great, great mental strength
to fight oneself.
and that is not something
that is easy
to obtain.
