For Her Sister

The poem Zoe wrote back in December was not accepted by the literary magazine to which she sent it. And because she doesn't want to submit it anywhere else (I was thinking maybe a magazine geared toward children, or one that regularly accepts submissions from children), I'm sharing it here.

Melina
By Zoe

Long, flowing hair

Still in her snowman pajamas.

But then, all of a sudden,

she appears in a white dress

with sparkles and pearls

and a ribbon at the back to tie.

With a shiny crown,

a fairy wand with a little fluff of feathers

(just to make it a pretty wand),

and white high heels,

a little bit big for her.

But it doesn’t matter,

she tells me what to do.

Because she is The Queen

and I am the princess

who wears jeans and converse.

With my long hair in a normal way and no tiara.

Then, she changes

from one Queen to another.

Into a mermaid,

into The Queen of the Ocean,

and I am still the princess

but Princess of the Ocean.

I’m just like Ariel, she says

and keeps talking.

My thoughts wander away from her

and her Queen life,

but she tells me to listen

because she is still the Queen

and I am just the Princess.

The princess.

And I have to listen to Her Majesty

even if I don’t really want to.

I ask, How much more time?

Only five more minutes, mom says to me.

Because I have to play with her,

as a favor to my mom.

And Her Majesty also tells me that I have to play.

Just a little longer, she says.

I have to listen, again,

because she is The Queen,

and she is my little sister.