All The Princesses are Sleeping

All The Princesses are Sleeping

We tell our little girls the story of the girl who slept for one hundred years

To be awoken by the kiss of a prince she didn’t know existed.

We tell our little girls the story of the princess who had skin so soft

She felt the discomfort of a pea a hundred mattresses beneath her

We tell our little girls the story of the princess who was poisoned

And whose only cure was yet again, a prince’s kiss

Why don’t we tell our little girls about the girl who almost sacrificed her life

So that she and her friends could have an education

And the women who fought so hard for something so simple as a vote.

Let’s tell our little girls about the importance of being awake,

Taking in the world and it’s beauty and it’s flaws and it’s grace

Let’s tell them about the importance of protecting their sisters,

Of not cursing them or poisoning them or pitting them against each other

Because our little girls deserve more than glass slippers and a ring on their finger;

Our girls deserve the bravery and courage to wake themselves up, to educate themselves,

To be their own princesses and to admire each other as much as they admire fairytale princesses