The Pearl

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 different
so they seduced me
I ate in their classy restaurants
danced to their tune
I grew sluggish and slept till noon
I forgot who I was

I grew old as my mother
a widow who wept and slept alone
I’d grown fragile as a shell
and failed to make an impression
I was forgotten

Then in the night I woke afraid
The serpent stirred
and I remembered – I was sent here
to recover the pearl