star world

Claire Wang, Del Norte High School, graduating in '26 February 11, 2023

Photography by Polaris*

in these tired joints

spiderwebs mark the thoughts

that wait.

or rather don’t.

they tell cinderella

to put the glass shoe on

but the shoe doesn’t fit.

she waits cast aside by the

love that doesn’t know her scars

where every day grows grayer but

stays the same.

in these aching bones

we miss something that was

never there

that we chase like cycles.

rapunzel paces her tower

like a trapped bird painting

her insanities away.

she lets down her hair

every day in a tangled mass

obediently

but she can never hide the pain

of a thousand insecurities pulling at her head.

they force snow white

to poison herself

little red riding hood

to run to her wolf

sleeping beauty knew her curse

but didn’t fight it

because she’d rather be dreaming

in our weary feet we

run from the world

because we are told to:

in a world that doesn’t stop

even if morality does.

and humanity

waits and waits

and waits and

waits for

someone, anyone

a prince

to save its princesses

because we don’t realize

the princesses can save themselves.