Rapunzel Is Not Locked In Her Castle

Jordyn Damato

She prefers to stay indoors— 

no bugs in her hair, no  

men begging for her hand 

(she prefers cats and women  

that are prettier than her 

and smell like butterscotch)  

Beauty is a privilege— 

She understands this better than  

her mother who always tries 

to force her outside; to share  

her beauty with the world 

and be repaid in riches and royalty 

and Rolex’s.  

 

Rapunzel has had enough. 

 

Eggs charred on a frying pan,  

she brushes her teeth with 

the barrel of a gun—pulls 

the trigger on a stray chameleon  

that’s been keeping her up at night. 

Knife in hand, en-route to 

her scalp, blonde tinsel 

falls to the ground—she is nothing  

but an egghead now, 

She is the before picture  

of a princess transformation.  

A garbage bag torn  

from the trash. 

she twirls in her new  

gown with a grin.  

“Now,” 

She tells her mother, 

who can’t stop crying. 

“Now I am ready to go outside.” 

Jordyn Damato currently attends Central Michigan University where she’s an accelerated masters student in the English program, with a focus in Creative Writing. Her prose and photography have appeared in Central Review, and she has work forthcoming in Bullshit Lit and Woolgathering Review. Jordyn has a passion for exploring the strange truths in her work, no matter how difficult that may be. She tweets unprofessionally at @jordyndamatoo. 

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