We all know the story began by the words

“Once Upon a Time”

Cinderella, Cinderella

Forced to beg for even just a dime

But the story is told from the one

Who got her fairytale ending

The truth is never accurate when

The version is by the victors

Her step-sisters were evil and

Her stepmother was wicked

But Cinderella was never the victim of this tale

For it was in fact poor Anastasia who was cheated

Growing up with an abusive mother

Who believed her only purpose in life was to find

An egotistical prince, she never stood a chance.

While it is easy to dismiss

Her dismay from the story told

Take a moment to step in her shoes instead

A life without a father figure and a shallow sister

Who only valued to be wed

While Cinderella had her mice

And her pumpkin carriage

She was forced to dress up nice

While Cinderella had her fairy godmother

Her mother scolded her to dye her hair blonder

When her stepfather died

Everyone grew meaner

Even Cinderella threw snide

She wanted to marry the Prince not for his riches

But for the freedom it would have brought her

Away from the suffocating strangle of a dysfunctional family

Never noticed her cries or pain

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul

But even when she pleaded in her silence

Even when she looked straight in their eyes

No one could detect her brilliance

She could have been an author

Or a lawyer

Or a doctor

Could have broken the restraints attached to her gender

Cinderella lied when she claimed to have been abused

It was not her who cleaned and cooked

Anastasia loves to sing and play the piano

As skilled as a virtuoso

But Cinderella stole her Liberty

Which is why she is just as much to blame

As the people who broke her

Time and time again

She knew Anastasia’s situation

But truth is she’s selfish

Too self-absorbed to take action

That glass shoe was not the only thing that fit

The title SELFISH encapsulates her spirit

People celebrated her marriage and her

Happily Ever After

While they ignored Poor Anastasia

Doomed at the hands of an unfit mother

But you never hear her point of view

Why? Because it would be a hindrance

To realize that a fairy tale is never black and white

It would shatter their delusions to know

Cinderella does not epitomize the tragic hero

Anastasia, Anastasia

Where is your “Once Upon a Time”?