Say I am the king’s second daughter
in a kingdom where everyone dies
say I was sent to the city to recover the pearl
guarded by a serpent
I was lonely and felt unloved
the city dwellers noticed I was strange
so they seduced me
I ate in their classy restaurants
danced to their tune
grew sluggish and slept till noon
I forgot who I was
grew old as my mother
a widow who wept and slept alone
I became fragile as a shell
and made no impression
so I was forgotten
Then in the night I woke afraid
– the serpent stirred
and I remembered – I was sent here
to recover the pearl