A dear friend of mine, Christina Howell, published a creative nonfiction article recently entitled True Love, Fairy Tales, and George R.R. Martin which is hilarious, heartfelt, and thought-provoking. Is love worth the risks? Is everything we dream about love a fairytale? Christina’s article holds nothing back. Please be sure to visit HerStory to give it a read.
Her article inspired the poem below. I’d love to hear your thoughts on Christina’s journey as well as your own experiences and beliefs about love and the fairytale promise of a happily ever after.
Fairytale Love
Burn three wishes on one orgasm.
Fit your feet in high heels
to woe him.
Lose your voice to gain footing,
but remember,
long legs are an illusion.
Attempt to tame the beast within him,
but don’t ask too many questions.
Be fragrant, but willing to kiss
all his hideous bits.
Remember,
your hair is a ladder to your face.
Your feelings must remain frozen
to scale his glacial heart.
You are an ogre, so
hide your mistakes,
but relish his unmasked flaws.
Most importantly, wait.
It is not your job to seek
true love; be patient.
Take a decade-long nap, if needed.
Let him kidnap your mind,
your body, your heart.
Love will make its own selection.
Believe in the pea below the pile
of dirty mattresses.
Be regal, and well-read.
There’s no princess alive or dead
who goes unwed.
© 2022 | K.Hartless
Yard Sale of Thoughts 
Your imagery really grabs K – expresses so much.
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Thank you, VJ. I wanted to pull out all the ridiculous things women do in fairytales. But, I think my list just got started really.
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I know…the list is endless…and even though these are fairytale images, they are sadly not far off the truth.
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Yes, that is very true. The bound feet, the painted faces, the passivity. Agreed. Thank you for engaging in this article/piece, VJ.
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Thanks for sharing such an intriguing article – loved your poignant verses on the pitfalls before finding true love & the hugely different standards we set for men and women. Brilliantly written! 🙂
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I’m so glad you liked the article and the poem, Tom. 💜 There are so many double standards. I was thinking the other day, I quite like my face. I don’t think I need to wear makeup. why should I have to put something on my face to be “presentable?” I think the imbalance of gender equality is linked to these sorts of uneven behaviors. As far as finding love, I like to look for a mind I want to curl up with not so much a body. Maybe this is just another type of fairytale, though.
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Nicely put! That’s a good dream well worth aiming for! ❤ Really enjoyed your insight on this 🙂
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Love this thought! Curling up with a mind can be way deeper, intenser than any bodily form. Well said 👍
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Yes, I agree. I love a good kindred spirit either found in real life, in a book, or in the virtual world.
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Love? I’m glad it happewned at 30 not 20. Even so, it’s f’in hard work!
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Yes, I imagine it takes a lot of hard work being Prince Charming. 😉
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Remember, ridicule is nothing to be scared of.
I bet you don’t get that. Eighties joke. Pesky youngsters…
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I’ve never seen this. Oh man, it’s epic. I’m totally not scared now. Ridicule, bring it on.
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Adam Ant was basically the coolest guy around when I was early teens. He had hit after hit after hit. Check out Goody Two Shoes if you get the chance. Stand and Deliver.
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What stunning imagery! It is colorful, beautiful, and lyrical.
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Thank you, Jaya. The fairytales just flowed out of me this morning. Thank you for these kind words.
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“Be regal, and well-read.” This needs to be on a poster and framed.
I love the honesty in your poem (and enjoyed your friend’s story – I wish I could imagine myself buying a one-way ticket to Scotland and staying…) I love to tease my daughter about how to treat her husband from all my experience with 1940’s and 50’s magazine advice!
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Thank you ever so kindly, Deb. Yes, those magazine. You should share them with all of us, as I can only imagine what they contain. I, too, love spontaneity, and try my best to make each day have its own little surprises. I’m so grateful for your thoughtful comments.
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Beyond my expectation. I love it!
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Many thanks. What a wonderful comment.
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I really enjoyed this one
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Thank you, JYP. It was super fun to craft and the article was really the impetus of it all.
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terrific piece; it covers all eventualities in a playful manner; love the tart humor: ‘take a decade long nap if needed ‘ 🙂
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Thank you, John. I think I could have even said century in the fairytale sense. I have been feeling a humor creeping over me, and I must say, I like it. Here’s the the chuckling chills. 😉
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humor makes the medicine go down 🙂
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Yes, a bottle more than a spoonful, may be needed. 😉
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Lol
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Well done! Loved this piece.
Your points are truthful and I totally agree with them. Love finds everybody (if we’re willing to let ourselves be found 😉)
We just need to have patience and wait for that love to come around!
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Thank you, Simone. These fairytales hold a lot of ancient views, and I agree that patience is important in all things, but I think that women shouldn’t be expected to passively wait for love. Love is an action and women can wield that word as well as any man, no? I’m so glad you came and shared your views on my piece. I’m so grateful that we are connected. Cheers!
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Yes I definitely agree that woman need to be proactive too! We can’t just fold our arms and wait for “Mr Perfect” to arrive. We got to put our thought and effort into it to! I guess there needs to be that balance of trying and waiting too..
Oh ye, am I glad we’ve found each other’s 😊 Great to read your posts and interact.
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🦋 Thank you. Here’s to more great writing ahead.
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Wow. This is powerful. The alliteration is an excellent device that really rolls the reader along in this. And yet, even as you roll, you feel the punch of those lines in which the women of fairytales deliberately disappear themselves. Great write!
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Thank you, Worms. Well put. The vanishing and diminishing of a woman to glorify a man.
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I don’t know about a happily ever after, yet do know that any love worthwhile takes sacrifice, and includes both deep pain and pleasure. I love your poem, as for me, you address both of these facts beautifully. 💜
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Indeed. Wise reflection, Jeff. Thank you. The balance, that’s what I really crave. That feeling of calm. 💜
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You’re most welcome, K. I completely understand. Calm is favorable. 💜
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Such a powerful and relatable write, K.Hartless. So true in many ways! Too many good lines to quote, the whole thing is excellent 🙂
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Thank you. A fairytale flood. I’m so glad you enjoyed this one.
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