Here I Stand

Free Verse (Here I Stand)

By Darby Sinel

I stand here, compared to the other girls around me.

we are similar in that we all wear our best makeup and most expensive clothes,

we are gilded like the best of gold, however, we are not the same at all.

I am here masquerading behind a veil of deception.

My body shakes with the shuddering rate of my racing heart

I am being judged, only based on my appearances

which is clear because no one here knows who I truly am.

As unlikely as it may seem, I am chosen.

I go to my new husband as a symbol of his wealth.

My new castle is vast; cavernous.

Every step I take echos through the great halls, an indelible imprint

Despite its great beauty, this castle will never be my home.

I jump if ever I hear my name--

They might have found out who I am,

Who my people are.

I gaze with longing fondness out at my old world.

There I lived, learned and loved.

It seems that where I live now is a dream, ephemeral,

Or perhaps a nightmare, smoky and amiss

I am not living my life; no, I am living someone else’s.

My spouse, the king, has put me, my people, in danger.

I pass the hours blanketed in impenetrable thought.

I need to fix this, but is it something that can be solved?

The king loves me...

he would never want his own ruling to be the cause of my death

Regardless of the outcome, I know I must shatter the illusion

My strength of character must overcome.