RAPUNZEL’S BIRTH MOTHER
by Gabriella M. Belfiglio
All I wanted was some lettuce.
The way it grew on the other side
of that large wall in her paradise
so fresh, so green, so wide
and curly at the top. Rows of them
like snug babies—her yard a nursery.
There must have been something different
my husband could have done—less cursory.
I rarely leave our cottage now.
I cannot bear to see all the crisp babies,
growing legs hardly able to balance on the ground.
Even the new princess has three,
their hair looks soft as spun gold.
The exact pale shade as my own.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I began to read translations of the original Brothers Grimm fairytales, and became intrigued with how much had been changed in the process of becoming Walt Disney Movies. It inspired me to create my own version of some of the tales.
IMAGE: “Sadness” by Erté (1892-1990).
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gabriella M. Belfiglio lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her partner and three cats. She teaches self-defense, conflict resolution, karate, and tai chi to people of all ages throughout the five boroughs. Most recently, Gabriella won second place in the 2014 W.B. Yeats Poetry Contest. Gabriella’s work has been published in many anthologies and journals including VIA, E*ratio, Challenger International, Radius, The Centrifugal Eye, Folio, Avanti Popolo, Poetic Voices without Borders, C,C,&D, The Avocet, The Potomac Review, Eclectica, Lambda Literary Review, The Monterey Poetry Review, and The Dream Catcher’s Song.
Silver Birch Press 