Playing with Dolls


The hand that takes yours
may be real,
or it may just be
another lump of flesh.

The path you are
guided down
may be the way
you want to go,

or another wrong turn
in a life with twists and bends,
that never gets you
to that place you imagined
during all that childhood
make believe.

So what. Go on. Take hold.
Feel that palm against your own.
Take the journey that is yours.
You still are the princess.
He still is the prince.
It's just that your palace and kingdom
are both fixer uppers,
and unlike in movies or fairy tales
your shit still smells.