Cendrilla never ask for a prince

Cinderella never asked for a prince— 

she asked for a night, 

one evening of breath, 

of being something other 

than ash and ache.

She wanted the clock to stop 

or slow, wanted her mother's dress 

remade, wanted to dance 

in her own skin for once.

The prince was incidental, 

a detail the story added later, 

because we can't imagine 

a woman wanting freedom 

without wanting to be chosen.

But she didn't go to be seen— she went to see, to remember she was more than the sum of 

other people's needs.

The shoe was never about fitting. 

It was about running, 

about leaving at midnight, 

about knowing when to save yourself.

© 𝑴𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒆