A poem on generational addiction: "Sweet Nothing, Sweet Princess"

Once upon a time, 

there was a sweet nothing that they called Princess

who dreamed only of white knights, white fences, and perfect princes. 

She searched and searched from her window, 

her tower too tall.

Searched and searched from her window, 

but there was no love at all.

A stranger came one February day, 

and he had much to say in such a way that did sway, 

"Oh, Princess, my Princess, 

I've heard your cries from afar.

I have a solution, I promise, 

and the path's not hard. 

Save your tears, help is near, 

forget those old wishing stars."

He smirked a most lovely smirk, 

but I don't think the princess saw. 

She was too busy looking at his clothes, 

the tell-tale sound of education behind every note. 

he spoke, 

the perfect color of his night sea cloak. 

To her, he was better than anything that's ever been wrote. 

"I know a potion, and it's quite divine. 

It entertains desires and unwinds the mind.

You'll find great love - a love that like you've

never known before. 

Hazy, lazy, faded, it's waiting, 

and it's yours for the taking.

I know a potion, and it's quite divine. 

All it needs is - "

The Princess nodded her head before he was finished,

and when he smiled, she decided not to listen, 

"Whatever you want, I want what you're giving."

"Pause, child, you must hear my conditions,"

I'm no child, she thought, but he did not witness,

"The things I give to you, I take from your children."

Maybe she didn't know what she was saying, 

Maybe there was no possibility, so she thought she was winning the game. 

She agreed,

and she took what he offered, 

took everything she could, 

and then she became a mother.

Married a prince, not the man in the cloak,

but he always made himself right at home. 

Her husband would roar, and he would cry, 

"Why does he still haunt your doorway at night?

You have duties as a woman, and you have duties as a wife. 

We have a child, dear Princess, so I heed you to listen, 

don't entertain him anymore. 

Don't miss him."

"He has a potion, you know this. I take it every night. 

It's the only reason I - we - have this beautiful life. 

No more window shopping, no more towers, no more wishlists to the skies. 

I've got the best of the best, and for you, dear husband, I have been blessed,

but he's got something that I can't resist."

"Our child," her husband whines, 

And she rolls her eyes, 

"You wanted a damn child,

Not I. 

She will be just fine."

When she walks out, 

the husband mutters,

"Yeah, well, then why does she have his eyes?"

Many moons later, the princess found herself alone.

The prince grew tired of welcoming strangers into his home. 

He took all of his fine clothes, fine money, fine friends, 

and even now his location remains unknown. 

Relieved she was 'cause there was fire in the words he spoke. 

Her life, her dreams, they had all turned to smoke.

In the end, he was worst than anything, anybody had wrote. 

But he left her a castle, 

something half-haunted with happy memory offerings

and she had no choice but to stay.

At night, in moonlight, her stranger returned, 

"You promised me love," she would scream against his chest,

but in the end, every word he said was said best, 

in earnest with the blunt truth of earnest, he assured,

"You can still have love, it's not too late.

You just have to learn to wait, you just have to change the way you think,

I know my love, it doesn't happen anymore - not in a blink

until then, while you wait, let us have another drink."

"I want your love," she says, she pleas.

And he smirked, this time she did see, 

"And you will have love, my love, 

if you just drink."

Time is time, and it carries on sickly, 

but through everything her stranger stayed, and came swiftly. 

Held her hand through new love, new habit, new life, new man. 

Time is time, and it carried like she wanted it to be.

Then a day came, longer after winter's February, 

when the stranger presented

the princess with two vials, 

"One for you, and one for our child."

Our child, oh the sound of it, 

how it made her smile. 

"Where is your daughter, my dear Princess? 

The time has come, and it is kismet.

Look at you, look how you have lived it. 

Time for our sweet girl to pay the piper, 

isn't it?"

"How will she pay you?" The princess did sniff. 

He waved his hand, and he said, "Oh, Princess, darling, 

you know you never truly listen. 

You have paid the cost with every sip!

You found your dear prince in the bar, 

and took it just a little too far, but here we are. 

The consequence has always fallen on your child's shoulders. 

Your heart broke when he left, but it was her that had to

clean up, and nurture the mess."

The princess tilts her head,

never once having considered it, 

"I gave you beauty, and in your beauty,

you dissembled her pride. 

Why, I do not know, 

and you may blame me for that in time.

You flaunted, you taunted, you said your say," 

He shrugs, smirk turned rotten,

her face gone pale with distaste,

"You have lived easy, have you not?

All the hard times, my potion made glimmery good times,

no? I ask you this question, what peace has your daughter known?

Name it, say it, and I will tell you if it's true."

The princess waits, pieces of a delusion erased,

The stranger goes on to say, "I gave you everything, 

and I will take her all.

Why are you surprised, my love, 

it's everything I've been saying, 

dove."

"What kind of poison," is all she could speak,

hands raised to her mouth, finding it hard to breathe. 

The vials fell to the ground, although he did reach,

clattering, shattering piercing sound, 

liquid soaking in the ground.

Her hand still over her mouth.

His brow raises, hell raising with it, 

"All these years I wondered if you would ask now, 

and even then, I confess, I did have my doubts.

Name or side effects, what do you choose?"

"Side effects is all I've known, 

your name will do."

"I'll give you one better,

and tell you what you have consumed," 

He waves her forward, 

"Come close, I'll whisper,"

She does what she must,

no fear, no whimper, 

"I've given you spirits,

don't you feel them,

running through your veins?

Life, my love, it's what you cried for, 

I heard it from a far.

My spirits, they hear it,

as you know, I often listen."

She whispers, "I think you…

I think you forgot to mention."

He shakes his head, "No, darling, 

you just don't listen."

He looks to the ground,

"Now, how are we going to fix this?"