The fairy godmother appears
And disappears
The willow wilts, until another noon

Intimate details of a concealed life
Become clearer
Bright days encroach on moonless night
Yet, no prince knocks—
she never gave anyone shoes to wear.

You knew this wouldn’t last;
Then she lost her job at the dressmakers’.

Mandira Pattnaik is an Economics graduate who lets her degree gather dust while she word-weaves. Some of those pieces have made their way into Spelk, Lunate, Gasher, Star82, and fiftywordstories. She tweets at @MandiraPattnaik.