A pad challenge response from Linda M Crate

where my magic is understood
dragons in flight, freed from
the tethers of anyone's need
are so beautiful to watch;

but there's a part of me that
also wants to escape
on the back of one into another
realm where i am warmly
accepted and loved
where my magic is understood—

some forgotten princess
which is suddenly remembered,

pulled away from a reality where
she doesn't feel known
or appreciated;

ever since i was a little girl i thought
perhaps if i were good enough
my father would come find me
and take me home—

sometimes he was a prince
or a king,
but usually he was a vampire.
-linda m. crate