Magic Mirror by Anna Cates

A large tree in the middle of green woodland. Large white text reads: Magic Mirror. Smaller text reads: Discussing disabled characters in fairy tales and folklore.

The poisoned apple was her idea.  She
shunned her angel side and hooked up
with a demon.  In scarlet silks she loitered
in the cellar, dungeoned herself
like the doomed, whorled up
frothy potions, cast spells that stained
her dainty fingers black and blue.  
Yet the princess returned with a prince!  
 
After that, nothing I said could appease her.
She tried to break me, hurling a wine goblet
at her reflection.  But when that failed--
for magic mirrors never break just as true
as magic mirrors never lie—she threatened
to toss herself from the balcony.  I summoned
a premonition into view:  her body, warped
and twisted in the weeds, devoured by death
like Jezebel’s dogs.  “What end could be worse
than that?” she snapped and locked
the door of her bower.  

    a lover
    all in green--
    the hounds
    smiling

---

About the author:
Dr. Anna Cates teaches writing, literature, and education online and has published a variety of books (poetry, fiction, and drama) through www.cyberwit.net, prolificpress.com, redmoonpress.com, and wipfandstock.com.  Her full-length poetry collection, Love in the Time of Covid, won an Illumination Book Award.  She resides in Wilmington, Ohio with her two cats.