Fairy Tales

by Daisy Zamora

Snow White refused to be a servant for the dwarfs,
and was not allowed into their little house.
Cinderella sued her stepmother for abuse.
I won’t go into the woods without a shotgun, said Little Red Riding Hood
after the wolf followed her the first time.
(And her grandmother never opened the door without first looking out)

Donkey Skin dared to denounce her father’s incest.
The Little Mermaid did not die of love, and had no illusions
that a prince would marry her.
When Beauty met the Beast, she loved him the way he was,
without expecting any kind of miracles.

Goldilocks didn’t even dare taste the porridge—
the bears would have eaten her immediately.
The Pea Princess refused to sleep
on so many mattresses, and screamed that if they doubted
her lineage they could all go to hell.

Alice never traveled to Wonderland,
and Sleeping Beauty fell asleep bored
because she was never allowed to do what she wanted.

These are the tales, my daughter.
Life will make sure you know them.

­—Translated by George Evans