“Even when a prohibition in a fairy-story is guessed to be derived from some taboo once practised long ago, it has probably been preserved in the later stages of the tale's history because of the great mythical significance of prohibition. Thou shalt not - or else thou shalt depart beggared into endless regret.”― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays

The signs are posted, the keyed doors locked
against temptation, warnings printed,
regulations stated, mandates decreed:

Don’t stray from the safe path,  
forget curfew,
or drop the golden ball.

Don’t defy conventions,
look in mirrors,
or covet scarlet shoes.

Don’t question the system,
cast stolen spells,
or break the secret seal.

Embrace decorum; practice protocol.
Suffer in silence; simper and smile;
stay beautiful and young forever.

Perhaps then, the goblins
won’t harvest fruit,
drag you under the hill.

Perhaps the prince won’t slip
between the sheets
while you are still dreaming.

Perhaps your father-king
won’t make demands:
the moon and sun and stars.

No longer a threat, you are harmless,
constrained and subdued, insignificant—
a prop in someone else’s story.

You are no clever maid.
You are no wicked queen.
You are no witch, no sage.

  You are no longer anyone at all.

Just as man intended.  

Carina Bissett is a writer, poet, and educator working primarily in the fields of dark fiction and fabulism. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in multiple journals and anthologies including Upon a Twice Time, Bitter Distillations: An Anthology of Poisonous Tales, Arterial Bloom, Gorgon: Stories of Emergence, Hath No Fury, and the HWA Poetry Showcase Vol. V and VI. She is also the co-editor of Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas. Links to her work can be found at http://carinabissett.com.